the Beijinger

Liu Bolin gets a lot of attention for someone you can’t see. His photos of himself painted to blend into dozens of backgrounds all over the world have gone viral with the aid of the internet, yet there are always the haters who claim his work isn’t art. We checked out his latest exhibit at Galerie Paris-Beijing to tease out what’s hiding in his works.

Long before embarking on a career in photojournalism that would include winning a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the collapse of the Soviet Union, before winning the 1989 Picture of the Year award for his coverage of China, before photographer Liu Heung Shing had ever picked up a camera - he was attending grade school in Fujian province. Years later, in 2008, Liu put his lifetime of experience photographing China to work editing China: Portrait of a Country. The huge book of photographs, taken by 88 Chinese photographers, gives a visual history of the country from 1949 to the present day, and has been hailed by many as one of the best books on the “New China” ever published. Liu will be taking part in the sold out Committing Journalism session at the Bookworm's International Literary Festival The Beijinger asked Liu about the book, and about his extraordinary career. You can browse our March issue (online version here) for interviews with many of the other authors appearing at the festival. You can browse the events here or on the Bookworm's official Literary Festival page.

All photos and photo captions below are taken from Liu Heung Shing's book, China: Portrait of a Country.

Anyone who's ever picked up a higher-end model of a single-lens reflex (SLR) camera and wondered, Where the heck's the button to take a picture? may want to give the China Foreign Photographers (CFP) a try. The club also happens to be perfect for those who have mastered the art of digital photography and want to show off their stuff, as CFP brings together picture-takers of all skill levels to swap ideas and share experiences regarding everything photography. Members meet on the third Wednesday of every month, including this Wednesday, 6:30 pm at Tim's Texas Barbeque.

Hey, you. Tired of using your mid-range smartphone as a camera? Wish that awesome shot of the chuan'r guy picking his teeth with an empty skewer was just a little less grainy? Or maybe you're an aspiring artiste who dreams of getting that perfect shot of your Beijing life, but you're held back by your utilitarian point-and-shoot's crappy aperture and slow sensor? Or are you prepping for that awesome trek through Xinjiang but afraid your bulky DSLR and five different lenses will break your back?

Well, whoever you are, this photo contest is for you. The Opposite House has teamed up with the supremo lens crafters at Leica to organize a photo competition that straddles Beijing and Hong Kong, with our city's theme being "Beijing Opposites." Prizes up for grabs include two different Leica cameras (the highest end of the compact camera market – and we hear their trademark "red dot" makes hipsters shake with envy) or one night's stay at The Opposite House (a little more fleeting, but still pretty sweet). Read on for more details.

ROOMbeijing and new art space +1 are teaming up to feature exciting new artists, with ROOM dedicating the back area of the restaurant to rotating exhibits of artwork presented by +1, starting with conceptual photography artist Tie Ying.

Last year we reported on the controversy surrounding China's 4th International Press Photo Contest. This year, unaware of any claims of digital manipulation, we simply present some of the winning images. Aside from all the Olympic photos entered in the sports news category, none of the other images seem to have been taken in Beijing. Click here for Sohu's gallery of all the winning images, view last year's winners here or keep reading below for a selection of some of the winning images from this year's competition.

Ryszard Horowitz has led a surreal life. As a child, he survived Auschwitz; as a teen, he photographed and befriended music legend Dave Brubeck; later, he moved to New York and revolutionized photography. Perhaps it’s fitting that he was one of the first to create surreal photographic images, using self-developed darkroom and in-camera techniques to combine multiple elements and angles, all before computers entered the picture. So next time you see Justin Bieber’s face Photoshopped on a pickle, give a mental hat tip to Horowitz. In advance of his retrospective this month as part of the 798 Festival, the accomplished photographer shared some thoughts with us.

Some choose to celebrate the New Year with dancing or with champagne, but some Beijingers broke the cliché and hiked the Great Wall to view 2011’s first sunrise. Check out the amazing pictures that are now up on thebeijinger.com gallery which may make some reconsider 2012 plans.

Fake 100s

An official from the Bank of China has contradicted earlier media reports that the fake RMB 100 notes circulating around the country, were of such good quality that even the official currency detecting machines at banks had difficulty distinguishing the fakes. The official clarified that these notes can be identified and that China’s central bank has begun an investigation into the source of the counterfeit bills.