A recent story in Thepaper.cn detailed a stylist's project to explore the way Chinese people have been photographed over the past 100 years. The project uses make-up, clothing and hairstyles to depict various eras.
1910s (end of the Qing Dynasty): Subjects wore robes and imperial hats with traditional decorations, sitting properly in perfectly straight clothing.
1920s (Republic of China): Subjects wore Western-style clothing or a traditional long gowns and jackets.
1930s: High-spirited and vigorous, wearing a scarf and showing off shiny hair.
1950s (founding of New China): Images glorified labor.
1960s-1970s: Influenced by the culture of learning from Lei Feng, who was a soldier of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and is now a cultural icon in China symbolizing selflessness, modesty, and dedication, people often brought the “little red book” when sitting for photos.
1980s: Radios, enjoying extreme popularity, were often placed on the shoulders of subjects.
1990s: Seemingly fake backgrounds and exaggerated poses became popular.
2000s: So-called SMT hairstyles with photo sticker frames were popular.
Post-2010: Photos today are usually processed using various beautification softwares.