China is a land full of photography and work opportunities for travelers, professional photographers and photography students. This serves as a guide for you to make the best out of your adventures in China.
How to get started? First, let's look at your own background and why are you picking China?
Who are you?
(1) A budding photographer still honing your skills with lots to learn?
If you are on a shoestring budget and need to find some "regular" source of income, consider working as a photographer's assistant with a china-based foreign professional photographer. We are building a resource page of foreign photographers in major Chinese cities.
However, for this approach, you are probably better off learning-on-the-job as an assistant to a professional photographer in your own country (or city).
If you are seeking a photography education, China doesn't seem to be an option at first look - but its universities are starting to offer programs with American and European universities.
For example, the Dalian Image Art College offers a M.A. Multimedia Journalism program by the University of Boston.
In Beijing, the Beijing Center of Photography also offers a one-month intensive program on Professional fashion and portraiture photography. There are shorter courses including 2-day bootcamps by Stefen Chow (Singaporean) and Ian Robert Knight (Canadian).
Beijing Center of Photography is offering photography bootcamp training in various Chinese cities such as Yunan, Wuzhen & Harbin.
(2) Already a professional with a strong portfolio?
First, you need to decide which Chinese city you would like to base yourself in. That depends a lot on your field of expertise.
If you are a photojournalist working for news agencies and international magazines, Beijing as China's capitol and political center of action is the obvious choice.
If you shoot mainly products and industrial/corporate images, southern cities such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen as production hubs of China make better bases.
If you do mostly fashion and advertising work, then it's either Shanghai or Beijing.
Shanghai's offer of assignment opportunities are more international whereas in Beijing, you will work with more local enterprises.
In additional, Beijing is China's media hub as well where most of its advertising and media companies are located.
Should you learn to speak Chinese if you are going to work here? It is a resounding yes especially if you are going to be based in Beijing.
Comparatively more locals in Shanghai know how to communicate well in English if you are going to be based there instead.
(3) Not a professional but an avid traveler with a keen interest in photography?
You will be terribly spoilt for choices. Where to go first depends a lot on your personal tastes.
Besides being a political and media hub, Beijing is also a cultural focus and the most popular tourism spot in China, more so than Shanghai.
(Lance notes... I will be adding more contents to this page soon. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask them in this forum thread in AsiaPhoto.com's Asian Photography Guide - there's a specific section about photography in China )