In August 2019, Chinese humanist photographer Hans Xu (Xu Xuehan) was invited to participate in the “2019 Asia Marine Media Arts Festival – Incheon East Asia Cultural City International Image and Photography Art Exhibition” held in Incheon, South Korea. The festival brought together outstanding visual and photographic works from across Asia, aiming to foster cross-border exchange and cooperation in marine culture and visual arts.

As a representative of photography educators from Chinese higher art institutions, Hans Xu not only showcased his signature black-and-white documentary photography imbued with humanistic care, but also took part in the academic forum on photography education among China, Japan, and South Korea held during the exhibition.

The forum focused on current trends in image-based education, innovative teaching methodologies, and prospects for international collaboration. Drawing on his extensive experience teaching photography in Chinese universities, Hans Xu engaged in in-depth discussions with educators from Japan and South Korea on topics such as diversified educational approaches, guiding students’ creative practices, and how to strengthen indigenous visual narratives in a global context. His contributions highlighted his professionalism and broad international perspective as both an artist and educator.

This participation not only underscored Hans Xu’s academic influence in the Asian photography scene but also added new momentum to the dialogue and cooperation in photographic arts and higher education among China, Japan, and South Korea.