From Manchu royalties in the Qing Dynasty to street beggars and even home-confined Chinese ladies in the 19th century, the images captured by John Thomson, the pioneering Scottish photographer, are on show in east China's Fuzhou City, appealing the local audience.

"Thomson's photographs contributed greatly to Europe's view of China in the 19th century and filled the visual gap between East and West," said Lin Dan, deputy curator of the Provincial Museum of Fujian Province.

She said the photos are all from the Wellcome Library's collection in London, most of which have never been exhibited outside the library.

Yao Yongpei, a Chinese Briton and private donator to sponsor the exhibition's tour to China, said she found the Wellcome Library has a reserve of some 600 of Thomson's photos, 500 of which were taken in China.

She said she hoped the photos could be shown in their original places so that the Chinese audience could have a chance to appreciate the images of the past.

The exhibition's China debut started in Beijing in April. It will move to Guangzhou and Dongguan after the show in Fujian, which signifies the route of Thomson's footsteps in China, she said.

The exhibition in the Fujian museum from Monday to Aug. 15 consisted of 148 pictures taken by Thomson in China between 1870 and 1872.

One of the photos portrays a Manchu lady dressed in a rich robe, standing with her maid in a rock garden. Like most women of well-off families, she lived a life of seclusion, knowing little or nothing of the world beyond the wall of the beautiful courtyard house, reads the picture's caption.

Wang Qian, a student of Fuzhou University, said he was fascinated by the photos of street scenes, which reflected the social outlook in China at that time.

He said back in the 19th century, most Chinese were unfamiliar with photography. They must be afraid of cameras. But Thomson was able to communicate with his subjects effectively, convince them to appear in lens, and catch vivid moments which were rarely captured by other photographers of that time.

Lin said Thomson was one of the few western photographers who traveled extensively in China.

His trip started from south China's Guangdong Province to eastern Fujian, and then to other eastern provinces and northern China, including the imperial capital, Beijing, before heading down to the Yangtze River, altogether covering nearly 8,000 kilometers.

"Thomson's contribution was not just in the photography tour in China. After returning to Britain, he took up an active role in informing the public about China. Besides giving illustrated presentations, he continually published photographic and written works on China," said Lin.