A philanthropic photography exhibition by actress Jiang Yiyan was held in Shanghai over the weekend, winning enough praise from her fans that police had to control traffic amid safety concerns.

    “Love” was the theme for the photo exhibition, showcasing photos Jiang took during her trips around the world and her time spent as a volunteer teacher in poor mountainous villages.

    Her work in Nepal one year after the earthquake and photos she took while shooting a film in the Tibet Autonomous Region were also highlighted at the show.

    “Photos are not defined by composition, nor angle, but by the emotion they convey,” said Jiang, who regards herself as an amateur photographer with no authoritative saying on art.

    “I’m just Jiang Yiyan, an actor, and photography is my hobby. I am honored to have met many friends along the way, and to host shows in different cities. I just want to share the world as I see it, and take the viewers on a journey of love,” she added.

    Jiang, who sat on the judging panel at the just-concluded 19th Shanghai International Film Festival, said she regretted the impetuous nature of China’s film market.

    “There are too many fast-food products in the Chinese film market nowadays. I saw many small-budget films during the festival. Their productions didn’t have big teams, but their work spoke directly to my heart,” she said.

    “I think it’s crucial to keep the mindset we had when we began making films. I probably won’t take on more commercial films in the future; I want to try more artistic work.”

    The 32-year-old Chinese actress who starred in “Nanking Nanking” is famous not only for her roles on the screen, but also as a volunteer teacher in a poor mountain village .

    She has spent eight years since 2006 as a volunteer teacher in Bama County in South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

    Jiang’s volunteer work remained unknown to the public until a documentary on her work went viral in 2015 on microblog site Sina Weibo and messaging app WeChat. The 17-minute film features an interview with Jiang and shows her experience as a part-time volunteer teacher at the school.

    The free show continues in Shanghai from June 26 to July 1 at the Jin Art Institute.

    (SD-Agencies)