Jiujiang in 1983 by Andrea Cavazzuti. The Italian photographer lived in China for more than 40 years. His first photo collection, documenting life in China in the 1980s, was published in November 2021. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

Nanjing in 1981. Cavazzuti named his book “At Ease: China, 1981-1984” as it was a period he considered a time of respite for the country following the end of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) and the economic reform that started in 1978. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

Women chat in a park in Nanjing in 1981. Born in 1959, Cavazzuti came to China at 22 and studied briefly in Nanjing, East China’s Jiangsu province in 1981. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

Children climb up a tower in Nanjing in 1981. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

Residents stroll the streets of Nanjing in 1981. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

A Shanghai storefront display greets passers-by in 1981. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

A man looks through a window of a property in Shanghai filled with portraits in 1982. That year, Cavazzuti would be admitted to Fudan University for two years. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

A group of people lounge on a chair alongside a road in Shanghai in 1983. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

A group of people gather in a lavish lobby in Shanghai in 1983. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

A moment of distress for a man out on the streets of Shanghai in 1984. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

A child balances baskets in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang province in 1982. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

Two people pose for photos at a park in Hangzhou in 1982. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

People gather at a park’s fitness corner in 1982 in Suzhou, East China’s Jiangsu province. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

Patrons of a Suzhou restaurant in 1982. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

A cured meat storefront in Suzhou in 1983. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

A pair of diners dig into a meal in Quanzhou in 1983. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

A pair passes time inside a store in Xiamen, East China’s Fujian province in 1983. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

Curious onlookers gather outside a grocery store in 1982 in Wan county, Southwest China’s Sichuan province. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

A couple enjoying the outdoors in Kunming, Southwest China’s Yunnan province in 1983. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

A man waits outside a building in Kunming in 1983. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

A figure from afar washes sheets in a river in Guilin, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in 1982. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

A man smiles for a photo outside a building in Haikou, South China’s Hainan province in 1982. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

Posing for photos at a Sanya beach in 1982. Photo: Andrea Cavazzuti/Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha

A portrait of Andrea Cavazzuti. Photos are a means for Cavazzuti to express himself beyond the limitations of language. Photo: Courtesy of Cuneiform, Xiangwai Artha