HKU students get history lesson of China and Russia through the lens of photojournalist Liu Heung Shing

On the second floor of the University of Hong Kong’s main library, students stop to look at the works of Pulitzer-winning photojournalist Liu Heung Shing. One of the photos features the removal of a giant portrait of Chinese leader Mao Zedong from a museum near Tiananmen Square in the 1980s. The students say the photos bring to life two of the biggest events in the last quarter of the 20th century, as opposed to simply reading history textbooks – the rise of China through its drastic economic reforms and the collapse of the Soviet Union. “I used to have a somewhat abstract impression of these historic events, but the photos give me a direct visual impact,” says Zhang Junxue, 23, who is studying for a masters in business analysis. She says she learned about the personality cult of Mao, but is surprised to see how large the portraits of the late Chinese leader were at the time. I used to have a somewhat abstract impression of these historic events, but the photos give me a direct visual impact Zhang Junxue, student The photos on exhibition are from Liu’s new book A Life in a Sea of Red. It contains the two most important bodies of his work spanning 1976 to 2017, in which pivotal decades of Communism in China and Russia played out. “This is the first time that I have combined my works of China and the Soviet Union,” Liu says. “I produced the book because these historic stories are still relevant today.” Liu, 68, was born in Hong Kong. He spent his early childhood in his mother’s hometown of Fuzhou in southeast China’s Fujian province until he returned to Hong Kong in 1960. Veteran photojournalist’s 28-year career told in 40,000 rolls of film At 16, he studied political science in the United States at the City University of New York’s Hunter College, where he was introduced to photography through an elective course taught by Life magazine’s renowned photographer, Gjon Mili. His cultural and educational background has offered him a unique vantage point from which to capture the pivotal history of China in photos. “Chinese education is vertical integration whereas the Western style is lateral thinking. For me, I try to find a point where both the vertical and horizontal meet,” he says. “I take my point of view and make observations, and the results are in my photos.” I take my point of view and make observations, and the results are in my photos Liu Heung Shing, photojournalist Liu has followed stories of China for more than 40 years. His first trip back to China was to cover the funeral of Chairman Mao for Time magazine in 1976. Since then, he has documented stories from the withdrawal of Mao’s portraits from the public realm, to the increase in free commercial, artistic and personal expression, as well as the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Liu’s photos of Russia, taken between 1990 and 1993, documented the collapse of the Soviet Union. He captured USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s resignation on December 25, 1991 which signalled the end of the Soviet bloc and the cold war. In 1992, he shared the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News for the coverage of the Soviet collapse. In all, Liu’s work vividly portrays past trials and tribulations of the two superpowers through a descriptive and evocative format. Post photographers scoop up three prizes in one of city’s largest photo contests “The photos match the general picture of history that I have learned, but they also show me changes in details. For example, I learned from the photos that some foreign brands entered China as early as 1982,” says Geng Sisi, 27, a PhD student in computer assisted language learning at HKU. Another student Song Jiaqi, 23, says Liu’s photos are visually powerful, especially in how they capture human expressions. HKU will hold a talk by Liu on Wednesday to launch his book. Elvin Wong Chi-chung, head of HKU’s general education unit, says: “The photos capture important chapters in the history of China and Russia, and students should learn about them.”

HKU students get history lesson of China and Russia through the lens of photojournalist Liu Heung Shing

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Campus display is to mark launch of award-winning author’s book – A Life in a Sea of Red – which provides vivid insight into historical chapters of two superpowers

Campus display is to mark launch of award-winning author’s book – A Life in a Sea of Red – which provides vivid insight into historical chapters of two superpowers