from the asian art newspaper:

During his second trip to Asia, Thomson based himself at the thriving British Crown Colony of Hong Kong in 1868. There he studied Chinese and Chinese culture while making a few short trips into Guangdong. Thomson’s major China expedition began in 1870. For two years he travelled extensively from Guangdong to Fujian, and then to eastern and northern China, including the imperial capital Beijing, before heading down to the River Yangtse, altogether covering nearly 5000 miles. In China, Thomson excelled as a photographer in quality, depth and breadth, and also in artistic sensibility. The experience he gained, and the techniques he developed, on the streets of Beijing laid the foundation for his Street Life in London, compiled five years later. This established him as the pioneer of photojournalism and one of the most influential photographers of his generation.

From 16 April to 18 May the exhibition China through the lens of John Thomson will be at the Beijing World Art Museum, so you still have a few days to catch it if you’re in the capital.

After that, it will travel to The Fujian Museum (14 June to16 August); Guangzhou Museum
(26 August to 25 September); and Dongguan Exhibition Center (3 November to 2 December), before travelling to the World Museum Liverpool in the UK to celebrate Chinese New Year 2010.

(via heading east)