French photographer has recorded China's past 30 years

At the end of 2014, over 700,000 foreigners were living in China. Many of them now feel an integral part of the Chinese dream....witnessing, experiencing and indeed contributing to China's development.

Yann Layma, a French photographer who's spent 30 years in China, captured that record with his camera.

A bicycle on a Beijing street in 1985...A man buying stock in Shanghai in 1986..A fisherman in Fujian Province...These pictures are all taken by Yann Layma, a French photographer who's spent 30 years in China. He now calls himself Yan Lei. And his works give a glimpse into yesterday's China.

"I don't take pictures of news or politics. I record people's daily life. So, Chinese people now love my works. Because these are their memories in the past 30 years," Layma said.

Besides Chinese fans, Yann's images also inspire foreign photographers when published in magazines.

One of the most famous series is on the railways. A wave of photography enthusiasts came to China to shoot for themselves.

"Many foreigners came to China with a backpack. For the first time ever, they travelled to China and saw the nation that had just opened up," Layma said.

Layma came to China in 1985. He described Beijing as "dominated by a spartan and poetic spirit, and a ballet of bicycles is displayed on the streets free from cars."

From there, Layma started his journey across the country, and even to the most remote areas.

"Many people in rural areas have never seen foreigners. They thought it was impossible that I was a human and must be a ghost. "Ah, you are a ghost!" "No, I'm not. I'm foreigner travelling a long way from here," Layma said.

In 2004, Layma held a large-scale outdoor exhibition in Luxembourg Park in Paris, featuring photos that spanned 20 years in China.

The next year, because of his prominent contribution in the Sino-France Cultural Exchange, he was awarded the French Legion of Honor Medal.

"Many foreign photographers are working in China. But no one focused on the change of the China so constantly in the past 30 years like Yan Lei. He recorded so many changes. So many people's lives and their emotions are shown precisely in his pictures," photographer & exhibition planner Na Risong said.

Pushing environmental protection is the current focus for Layma's camera. He says he's trying to persuade people by recording moving moments like this.

After 30 years in China, over 600,000 shots, Layma believes the very essence of China's beauty lies in the harmonious co-existence of humans and nature.