ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY LAUNCHES CHINESE CHAPTER WHILST FORMALLY DEVELOPING RELATIONS WITH THE CHINA PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION

Royal Photographic Society President, Professor Ralph Jacobson ASIS HonFRPS and Peter Noble ARPS have just returned from Beijing where they attended the opening of Professor Deng Wei’s FRPS Exhibition “In Pursuit of Sunlight” in the National Art Museum in Beijing and formally met with the China Photographers Association (CPA).

The Exhibition is being held in the National Art Museum of Beijing and features 100 Photographs of Contemporary Portraits, by Deng Wei, of Cultural Figures in China, world-renowned statesmen, writers, scientists, artists and athletes, in Europe and the USA. Deng Wei has spent dozens of years photographing these Portraits and has self financed his travels to take them. He will be the first ever Photographer to have donated his work of 100 portraits to the National Art Museum in Beijing.

The meeting between the RPS and the CPA was to discuss a draft agreement between the two Societies to forge links on Education and the Appreciation of Photography and is of great import. A timetable for signing the agreement was successfully agreed between the two Societies and it was decided that this would be in September 2007, at a place to be agreed at a later date.

“The CPA agreement will bring The RPS and The CPA into the largest Photographic Organisation in the world with a potential combined membership of up to 25,000 members and over. The exchanging of Exhibitions will be a potential window of styles to be seen and could influence other countries to exchange their work in the future.”

Peter Noble ARPS
Council Member, Overseas members representative.

Ralph Jacobson, Peter Noble and Yan Li (the Society’s liaison officer in China) also met with the President of Great-Wall International Communications, Mr. Huang Yuguang. The meeting was to discuss an agreement between The Society to sponsor a China Chapter in Beijing, giving the Chapter a place to meet and help with member’s subscriptions, distinctions workshops and promotion of The Society.

These important developments for Chinese Photography resulted in a great deal of press excitement in Beijing with Ralph Jacobson and Peter Noble appearing on China Television, meeting with Chinese governmental dignitaries, and being interviewed at length by the China Photographic Press, China Photographic Net and many of the Chinese Photographic Magazines.

“During a short and hectic visit an agreement for sponsorship of a Society China Chapter was reached with a Chinese Communications Company (GWIC). This will provide a means of promotion of The Society, increasing our membership in China and perhaps more importantly there is now a provision for taking Distinction workshops to China kindly sponsored by GWIC. This is great news for the Society and will help our Chinese members to gain distinctions for their work”
Professor Ralph Jacobson ASIS HonFRPS - President

For further information, visuals or to organise an interview please contact:
Emily Mathewson, MAX PR & Events
0208 334 5751 / emily@maxpr-events.com



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