Photography has been Zhou Haiying's hobby for nearly seven decades.

Sept 27 marked the 80th birthday of Zhou Haiying, the only son of Lu Xun (1881-1936), a leading figure of modern Chinese literature. On the very day, Zhou's photo exhibition was launched in the Confucius Temple and Imperial College Museum in Beijing, offering viewers an insight into the famous family and its many experiences.

Unlike his father, Zhou devoted himself to science and technology, and has many hobbies, one of which is photography.

Zhou got involved in photography when he was 10. In 1948, when he and his mother Xu Guangping left Hong Kong to return to the mainland, they bought second-hand clothes instead of new ones, and saved more than 800 HK dollars to buy a camera and 20 rolls of film. Zhou tells this story with deep feelings of gratitude for his mother. "My parents never forced me to do anything, but let me play and find my own interest," he says.

Over nearly 70 years, Zhou has taken more than 20,000 pictures, most of which record his family life and changes in society. He captures these changes without prejudice, and his photos show his concern and enthusiasm for people in their everyday lives.

Among the large number of negatives are quite a few recording some important historical figures and events, such as those on the memorable moments in 1948, when many famous political figures, such as Li Jishen and Shen Junru, responded to the appeal by Chairman Mao Zedong to attend the upcoming political consultative conference. As the meeting was a secret one at that time, no journalist came with them and pictures taken by Zhou, who accompanied his mother to the meeting, remain the only record of this historic event.

The second series of pictures are on urban life in both Beijing and Shanghai. "I went through the old society, so I am a sensitive person. I recorded what I saw and felt," says Zhou. "I am a snapper."

Editor: Liu Fang