Jiaye Shao (1939 - 2016) was an eminent photographer who achieved the highest grade of photography in China at the time. Under the influence of his father, Mr. Du Shao, during his childhood, Mr. Jiaye Shao began his photography career in 1954. In 1957, Shao's virgin piece, "Homeward Boat," was awarded a prize in a national photographic competition sponsored by Wen Hui Bao, an influential Chinese newspaper. From then on, his works - such as "Autumn," "Fleets on Oujang River," and "White Sails on Green Waters" - were displayed in the fifth, eighth, twelfth, fourteenth and sixteenth national exhibitions.
Since 1985, his art works were often seen in international photography exhibitions and won over 100 international awards, including the Photographic Society of America Gold Medal, the Federation of Hong Kong-Macacu Photographic Associations Gold medal, and the Federation Internationle De L' Art Photogrphique Honorary Medal. Around 3000 pieces of his art works were published or selected on domestic and foreign magazines and photography exhibitions/competitions.
In 1989 and 1992, Jiaye Shao was nominated successively for China's top photography award - the Golden Statue award. In 1993, "An Album of Jiaye Shao's Photos" was published by Liaoning People's Publishing House; the same year, "Jiaye Shao's Black and White Photography Art Exhibition" was displayed at the exhibition hall of the China Academy of Art. In 1995, "Jiaye Shao's Black and White Photography Art Exhibition" was invited to be exhibited at the Trento museum in Italy, and "An Album of Jiaye Shao's Black and White Photos" (Italy version) was also published.
Mr. Jiaye Shao was also a member of fourth Wenzhou Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in 1983. He served as the 3rd and 4th term vice chairman of the Zhejiang Photographers Association from 1988 to 2000 and served as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th term chairman of the Wenzhou Photographers Association from 1988 to 2005. From 2006 to 2016, he was the 5th, 6th and 7th term honor chairman of the Wenzhou Photographers Association.
