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Xiangjie Peng's latest book challenges mainstream Chinese photography by focusing on overlooked subcultures. Through three series - Dwarfs Empire, Twins, and Cosplay - Peng offers a nuanced view of contemporary China. "I am interested in the so-called non-mainstream people," Peng explains, rejecting politically sanctioned subjects. His empathetic approach lends dignity to marginalized groups, revealing a diverse and complex China beyond official narratives. Peng's work demonstrates photography's power to find beauty in unexpected places, presenting a unique perspective on modern Chinese society.

Though photographs could be widely disseminated, unlike the real trophies they did not provide incontrovertible proof of masculine prowess: it was possible, after all, to have oneself photographed next to a dead tiger, and pretend that one had been the heroic agent of that death. Yet, over time, as the impression became widespread that hunting was perhaps not the most indelible marker of masculinity, it was suggested that it required greater courage and masculine prowess to draw up close to big cats and other wild animals, and shoot the camera at close range (pp. 130-32). Susan Sontag has described the camera as a “sublimation of the gun”, and Ryan reminds us that the vocabulary of picture-taking – “loading’, ‘aiming’, ”shooting’ – has been largely derived from hunting.