As always we are excited to see what the annual JUE Music + Art Festival has lined up for us in March. Now in its fourth year, this collection of events (many of which have already been posted in our listings) aims to bring together artists from all over the world to celebrate our local creative community.

We already gave you a heads up about the OSPOP Photography Competition in last week’s Art Attack post, but here are more details on how to win that grand prize of 10,000 kuai.

Winner of the Second Prize in the Sports News category by Ke Hao

In the wake of a flurry of fake photo scandals (South China Tiger, The Tibetan Antelope and even the pictures of the moon caught by the Chang'e moon probe), this year's International Press Photo Contest has come under considerable scrutiny. Mainstream media have picked up on blogs that accuse a winner of the award in 2005 (a picture of pigeons in a square being inoculated against bird flu) of being digitally modified - something that goes against the rules of the competition. Two other winners from the 2005 awards were also stripped of their titles. Keep reading below for a selection of some of the winning images from the competition.

Do you still remember when you first picked out your Chinese name? Did you want something special? Something that sounds like your real name? Or did you simply copy the name of your favorite kung fu star?

Further along in the language study process, do you remember sitting there, annoyed, as that kid with the really good pronunciation and ridiculous vocabulary showed off in front of the class? Well, Mandarin Star might bring those memories back.

Janek Zdzarski has three generations of photographers in his family, so he says with a wink that he had no choice but to become one himself. His eye for unusual angles and fleeting frames gives us a chance to see Beijing in a new, starkly beautiful light. A new exhibit called “Illusive Moments” (part of Caochangdi PhotoSpring) gives us a peek at his photos and videos capturing our easy-to-love-and-hate city. Read on as he talks about the dangers of photojournalism, why Beijing’s perfect for photographers and how the sounds of the city soothed him on his sickbed.

The Caochangdi PhotoSpring Festival officially began on Saturday, April 21 at Three Shadows Photography Art Centre. Opening week events (Photo Folio Review, talks and screenings, etc.) are wrapping up today, but since most of the exhibitions will continue through May and even June for some, you’ve got plenty of time to see them all. Just in case you’re unsure about where to begin, here are our picks from Saturday’s tour: