An old photo of Hangzhou. [Photo provided to China Daily by Shen Hong]

There are around 200 photos that were taken by Sidney Gamble in Hangzhou. As a sociologist, he captured the lives of more people in Hangzhou than Fitch did.

"The main interest of (Sidney) Gamble is documenting people - men and women, young and old ... beggars, teachers, students, fishermen, monks, Taoists, pilgrims," writes Shen in the preface to Kaleidoscopic Views of the West Lake.

"Put together, the collection forms a panoramic view of the city, representing the beauty of West Lake and the old city, and the life of the residents in the early 20th century.

"It has a far-reaching meaning for the modern people of Hangzhou in preserving the historical memory."Contact the writer at xingyi@chinadaily.com.cn