This is the catalogue for the exhibition ‘Cross Pressures: Contemporary Photography and Video Art from Beijing’ held at the Oulu City Art Museum, Finland in 2001. Since the re-opening of the country in the early 1980s, the development of Chinese art has collided with the rapid Westernisation of the country. This has created an inspiring atmosphere for the renewal of art and modes of expressions. The photographic and video works presented here can be seen as visual representations of this experience. The accompanying essays provide a background for the understanding of the works and of the participating artists whose biographies are also included in this publication.