Light Society (Guang She) is the earliest photography collective in Chinese history. It was founded in 1923 at Peking University. The collective started out as “The Art Photography Research Association” and later changed its name to “Light Society”. It held 4 photography exhibitions in Central Park between 1924 and 1927 and published the Beijing Light Society Yearbook in 1927, which became the first photography annual in China. Activities of the Society eventually ceased in 1937 as a result of Japan’s invasion of Beijing.

Light Society was born out of its members’ pure love for photography, which was completely uncontaminated by money and fame. This was especially significant considering the turbulent political situation and the impoverished condition of the Chinese society back then. Eighty years after the shutdown of the original Light Society, Mr Wang Jun, a native Beijinger, decided to adopt its extraordinary name and carry on the unfinished mission of the Society with the same passion and dedication its founders once exemplified. With a wealth of resources in and out of China, Mr Wang was able to create a multifunctional institution for modern photography that systematically combines research, education, exhibition and collection.

Light Society aims to create a comprehensive art space that’s both refined and diverse, a space not only for the exhibition, collection and creation of artworks but also for sharing and discussing ideas and hosting various art-related events. With close observation and serious research, Light Society hopes to make its own contribution to the artistic ecosystem of contemporary photography in China, and to provide new opportunities and a platform for the development of Chinese photography.