From September 4 to 7, 2026, the Global Photographic Union (GPU) was invited to participate in Photo Beijing 2026. Representing GPU at this photographic cultural event in Beijing were Guo Jing, GPU Vice President, and Daniel De Cort, GPU Finance Director. Building on years of stable cooperation, the representatives engaged in in-depth exchanges with colleagues from both domestic and international photography communities.
During the event, a GPU promotional video was screened on a loop in the main hall on the first floor of the China Millennium Monument in Beijing, presenting GPU’s vision and achievements in international photographic exchange to visitors and photography professionals from home and abroad. Photographic works by several GPU members, including Li Xiushi, Ding Qingyuan, Yuan Yifan, Sun Caiyou and many others, were exhibited at the Beijing He Art Museum. Yang Yuanxing, Chief Advisor of Photo Beijing and Lifetime Honorary Chairman of the China Artistic Photographic Society, visited the exhibition. At the opening ceremony, GPU representatives were invited to walk the “Photography Road”red carpet alongside Zhao Yingxin, Art Director of Photo Beijing, and representatives of major photo festivals. Daniel De Cort gave an interview to local media, introducing GPU’s international photography promotion efforts and sharing ideas on cross-cultural photographic exchange between China and other countries.
The itinerary was rich in content. GPU representatives attended the opening ceremony of Photo Beijing 2026 and the opening of the parallel exhibition at the He Art Museum, participated in multiple forums, and visited various thematic photography exhibitions on site. The representatives had face-to-face exchanges with Chinese photographic artists and curators, discussing topics such as image creation, exhibition planning, and international photography competition cooperation.
For many years, GPU has maintained a strong cooperative relationship with Photo Beijing. Through this important platform, it has continued to build bridges for dialogue between Chinese and international photographic art and to promote mutual learning among international visual cultures. Going forward, GPU will continue to leverage various photographic cultural events to further promote mutual exhibitions of photographic works at home and abroad, exchanges among photographic talents, and the cross-regional promotion of photographic art.
Internal Report on GPU's Attendance in Photo Beijing 2026
I. Overview
From September 4 to 7, 2026, the Global Photographic Union (GPU) was invited to attend the Photo Beijing 2026 series of events. GPU Vice President Guo Jing and Financial Director Daniel De Cort represented GPU in Beijing. GPU has long maintained a cooperative relationship with Photo Beijing. This year’s exhibition was curated by the GPU Vice President, and works by several GPU members were featured in the Photo Beijing exhibition.
During the event, a GPU promotional video was screened on a loop in the main hall on the first floor of the China Millennium Monument in Beijing, presenting GPU’s vision and achievements in international photographic exchange to visitors and photography professionals from home and abroad. Photographic works by several GPU members were exhibited at the Beijing He Art Museum. Yang Yuanxing, Chief Advisor of Photo Beijing and Lifetime Honorary Advisor of the China Artistic Photography Society, visited the exhibition. At the opening ceremony, GPU representatives were invited to walk the “Photography Road” red carpet alongside Zhao Yingxin, Art Director of Photo Beijing, and representatives of major photo festivals. Daniel gave an interview to local media, introducing GPU’s international photography promotion efforts and sharing ideas on cross-cultural photographic exchange between China and other countries.
GPU representatives attended the opening ceremony of Photo Beijing 2026 and the opening of the parallel exhibition at the Art Museum, participated in multiple forums, and visited various thematic photography exhibitions. The GPU Vice President and Financial Director, together with the Chairman of Photo Beijing, viewed the GPU members’ thematic exhibition and exchanged views on topics such as photographic creation, curatorial concepts, and international photography exchange.
II. Shortcomings
The “Exhibition of Presidents of Photography Societies From Ten Countries,” which had been co-hosted by GPU and Photo Beijing for many years, was canceled at this year’s Photo Beijing, interrupting a long-standing brand cooperation project.
The organizing committee of this year’s Photo Beijing also invited representatives of FIAP to attend. FIAP Vice President David was present at the event, with the two major international photography organizations participating in the same event. However, during the guest introduction segment of the opening ceremony, the organizing committee only introduced FIAP and representatives of international photographic institutions such as the Hungarian Museum and the Hungarian Photographic Society, without mentioning the GPU representatives. GPU guests were also not invited to the opening launch segment.
Travel and reception arrangements: The organizing committee only covered Daniel’s international airfare; the GPU Vice President’s airfare was borne personally. Reception expenses during the four nights and three days in Beijing were covered by the Photo Beijing organizing committee.
III. Summary
Although GPU representatives were still invited to attend Photo Beijing and were provided with a platform for media exposure and industry exchange, this year’s event showed notable changes compared with previous editions in terms of core cooperation projects, guest courtesies, and travel support.
