China Seminar | 12 March 2013

The World I See: Through the Lens of a Young Chinese Journalist

Wei Zhu

Through almost ten years of working as a photographer and photo editor for Xinhua News Agency, Wei Zhu has been to many places capturing news events through the lens of his camera. Whether it was the catastrophic scene of 2008 Sichuan earthquake or standing in front of the runway during New York catwalk fashion shows or covering war-torn Pakistan, Wei Zhu has witnessed the pains and joy of people around the world. He has a feeling of honor, passion and sense of mission. Every time he grabs his camera and aims the viewfinder, he tries to capture the most symbolic moments with strong emotions. He tries to explore the deeper meaning behind the scene and gives an aesthetic way of viewing the world from his angles and composition. Zhu will present a slideshow of the world as seen through his lens and perspective of the world as seen from a photographer who is part of China’s younger generation. Wei Zhu entered Xinhua News Agency in 2005. His major reporting as photographer and photo editor including Beijing summit of China-Africa Cooperation Forum, APEC summit in Sydney, the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, Beijing Olympic Games, Pakistani Presidential Election. From November 2009 to December 2011, he was a photojournalist/editor with Xinhua’s North America Bureau based in New York. During that time he covered general news in New York and major news in the United States, including the oil spill in Gulf of Mexico, awarding ceremony of the Oscars, commemoration ceremony of the 9/11 attacks, annual meeting of the United Nation’s General Assembly, New York Fashion Week, Occupy Wall Street, etc.