Works featured in the Shanghai event last year include Untitled (Parrot) by Giovanni Gastel and Horse Pool and House by Luis Barragan. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Since then, people have recognized the value of photography as an independent category of art collection.

Commenting on the quality of works seen in China, Lin Tianmiao, a contemporary artist who incorporates photography in her mixed-media works, says contemporary Western and Japanese photography are quite insightful in scale and scope because they touch viewers by reflecting the dynamics of life.

"In this respect, Chinese artists who are into contemporary photography have a long way to go."

Photofairs Shanghai is organized by the World Photography Organization, founded in London in 2007. It also runs the Sony World Photography Awards.

It will hold Photofairs San Francisco from Jan 27 to 29, 2017, in the Festival Pavilion at the Fort Mason Center.

Photofairs San Francisco will not only cater to Silicon Valley, but also aims to showcase Chinese artists to the US West Coast.

If their works are well received, more artists in China would be encouraged to engage in photography, says Scott Gray, the CEO of World Photography Organization.

And, it may well bring Western collectors and galleries to future Shanghai fairs.

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