Liu Gaochao takes photos of an exhibition at the 798 art zone in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 9, 2019. It's been more than five years since Liu Gaochao embraced a career in film developing. On top of a high-rise mansion next to Liufang Station of Beijing Subway Line 13, Liu runs a studio, New Wave Film Lab, which also provides him a place to live. In 2012, Liu left his hometown in central China's Henan Province and headed for Beijing in pursuit of better opportunities. After he settled down in the capital city, he came across film photography and fell for the analog art almost immediately. Driven by the passion for ideal image quality, Liu purchased an automatic film processor in order to develop films by himself. However, this remained nothing but a geeky hobby before Liu eventually came up with the idea to open a film lab in October 2014. Over the years, Liu's business has prospered along with China's burgeoning e-commerce and the revived popularity of film photography among the younger generation. The bulk of orders come from Liu's online store on Taobao.com, a leading e-commerce platform. With the money made, the 26-year-old manages to stay financially independent while doing what he likes. As for the future, Liu says his main focus will still be the film developing business, but he is also making new friends with a shared interest in film photography. "It's good to see people getting more and more attracted by film photography," says Liu. "It cheers me up to know that diversity still exists in both photography and our life." (Xinhua/Zhang Haofu)
