Memories of her youth

An ongoing photograph exhibition by the French-born wife of a Chinese actor showcases the lives and times of pioneering group of Beijing-based folk singer-songwriters.

She is now known as the wife of Chinese actor Liu Ye, and a mother of two adorable kids, who have gained lots of fans after appearing in a popular TV show, Where Are We Going, Dad? But, beyond that, she is a photographer.

Anais Martane, born into a Jewish family in Nice, France, began learning Chinese at age 14 and continued to study the language at the French National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations.

In 2001, she arrived in China as a foreign student to study at Beijing Normal University and started taking photographs as a hobby.

The same year, she met some Beijing-based folk singer-songwriters and started photographing them on and off the stage.

The photos, taken from 2002 to 2004, are on display at her photo exhibition, titled Warm-Up - Anais Martane's Photography Solo Exhibition, at Beijing's Three Shadow +3 Gallery, since Oct 28.

The exhibition runs till Feb 27.