A picture taken by French photographer Bruno Barbey in 1980 shows a class of young students practicing the accordion at Shanghai Children's Center.[Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

The image is not included in the show at the National Art Museum, but a portrait of another important figure who had a connection with France－a snapshot of Ba Jin sunbathing in 1980－is on display. The prominent Chinese author also studied in France for two years during the late 1920s.

"I met him very briefly in Shanghai at his house. He still spoke French," says Barbey.

The warm tones and sharpness of Barbey's imagery also preserve the vibrant details of people's everyday lives at a time when taking photos remained a luxury for many. Many of the scenes and ways of life have now vanished from the fast-paced metropolis. For example, one photo Barbey took in Nanjing shows boats with elongated sails traveling along the Yangtze River, while another photo shows paddy fields on the outskirts of Shanghai which have now been replaced by high-rise buildings.

Jean Loh, a photography curator and publisher, comments in the Color of China's foreword: "Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan and Guangxi are, in his eyes, so different and distinct from one another ... His Kodachrome film faithfully captured the ochre red of the imperial palace of the Forbidden City and the morning blue of the Shanghai Bund."