Since the Opium War in 1840, China's doors have been wide open. Foreign missionaries, explorers, scholars, and others came to China with cameras, and documented the minutiae of the extraordinary changes occurring during the late Qing Dynasty, described as "a period of turbulence unlike any in the past three millennia." Many of these photographs were interspersed within their written records and subsequently published, making foreign-language books an essential reference for understanding the historical, cultural, and societal transformations of that era. Through these images, we can witness the breathtaking beauty of traditional Chinese architecture that left Westerners in awe. We can also observe Western-style churches and schools introduced by Westerners and the embrace of Western influences. Vivid examples of the interplay of tradition and change, the clash and fusion of Chinese and Western civilizations, all can be found in these records.