Guo Jing, curator and photographer, EFIAP, EPSA, LRPS, GPU CR-3, GPU Hermes, is now art consultant of Shangtuf Image and Art. She is also a seasoned judge for international photo competitions. She also serves as Vice President of Global Photographic Union (GPU), Director of GPU CHINA and Royal Photographic Society Shangtuf Chapter Chairman.
She has been invited to jury panels of photography competitions and festivals in the United States, Austria, Greece, UAE, Italy, and many more. Appointed by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, she participated in a curatorial workshop for curators in New York in 2016. As a sought after photo reviewer, she has been invited to portfolio review events at Lishui International Photography Festival in 2012 and Photolucida in the United States in 2017 and 2019. Exhibition curated for a photo festival landed her a Pegasus Award, top honor for curators in China. She has been invited as Chief Curator for “Camel Bell on Silk Road” Naiman International Photo Festival in 2018 and Jiaojiang Photographic Art Festival 2023 and GPU CHINA Photo Carnival 2024; in the same year, she has served as international representative of Asia and America at the “Rabat Lumiere” in Morocco. She has also been invited to curate the international exhibition section for China Yixian International Photography Festival from 2013 to 2019 and Qinghai Sanjiangyuan Photography Festival in 2014; Guo Jing serves as chief curator for two consecutive years of the Taizhou Photo Week. Serves as Curator for five editions of “View·Appreciate: Exhibition of Presidents of Photography Societies from Ten Countries”, a signature exhibition at Photo Beijing. Besides, she also curates exhibitions at Pingyao International Photo Festival, Shanghai International Photo Festival, and many exhibitions won awards at the festivals. She received the honorary title of Top Ten Chinese Photography Curators.
She has also been actively involved in the photography exchange and curatorial field, organizing exchange events with collaborators in the United States, Ukraine, Greece, Italy, South Africa, Morocco, Germany, Oman, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Serbia, and many other countries. From 2014 to 2015, she planned the “Beautiful Country” China-South Africa Photography Exchange Exhibition and a series of photo exchange activities to celebrate the “National Year” of China-South Africa. In June 2018, she planned “Belt and Road” into North Africa and Photographic Exchange Exhibition to celebrate 60th Anniversary of China-Morocco Bilateral Relation.
In addition, she is the author of the book Top Secrets of Award-winning Photography.
Shanbing Gaoqiang Opera
Shanbing Gaoqiang Opera is the only surviving village-level local opera genre in Jiaojiang District, Taizhou City. In the 42nd year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, Li Huiqing, a merchant from Shanbing, traveled extensively, infusing his passion for Gaoqiang opera into his life and founding Shanbing Gaoqiang Opera Troop. Gaoqiang is performed with a high-pitched vocal accompaniment, and the exciting masculine beauty complements the resilient spirit of Taizhou, jointly painting a splendid era. For 300 years, Shanbing Gaoqiang Opera has been passed down among the people of Zhang’an, exerting a widespread influence and being listed as intangible cultural heritage at municipal level.
With their lenses focused on this intangible cultural heritage opera genre, photographers captured the headgears used by actors in different roles. Although the actors’ performances on stage are not visible, these headgears ignite boundless imagination. Gazing at them, the loud and clear vocal tones of Shanbing Gaoqiang Opera seem to transcend time and space, echoing in our ears once again. Meanwhile these somewhat worn-out headgears silently reveal the numerous challenges the of a village-level local opera is faced with.
After the photoshoot, we learned from relevant departments that, in order to promote operatic culture, with the support of the sub-district and relevant departments, a Gaoqiang teaching class has been established in Lizha Village, reviving the ancient charm with renewed vigor. We look forward to Shanbing Gaoqiang Opera flourishing again with vitality.
