Introducing a World Class Photography Workshop with World Class Photography Master at the World Cultural Heritage Site…

All interested parties please email : ysh115@gmail.com

The Michael Freeman Workshop at Fujian Earth Buildings, South China 22-28 September 2012

Explore into World Cultural Heritage, Fujian Earth Buildings and create pictures with Photography Master Michael Freeman this coming September.

Join us for a Cultural Challenge and bring your Photography Skills and Experience to new heights as you shoot alongside the Master himself. Listen to his experience and learn from him first hand as he takes you through the Photography Journey. The Master will take you and show you how to capture the life and spirit of the Chinese Heritage in these traditional villages of Southern China. Named one of the Must Visit places in your life.

Michael Freeman will be personally guiding and directing you towards building a portfolio to add into your Photographic achievements. Do not miss this rare opportunity.

Besides Mr Michael Freeman, there will also be a Local Chinese Photographer, Mr Chen Feng and Singapore Travel Photographer and translator, Ms Vicky Yeow leading the trip.


Date : 22 September – 28 September 2012
Duration : 7Days 6Nights

Package Price (Twin Share) :
USD 2550 (LAND only, Workshop begins and ends at Xiamen. Fujian Province, China)

Optional Single Supplement : USD220

Limited to 10 participants.

Genre : Travel, Culture, Ancient Architecture

Michael Freeman Golden Autumn Earth Buildings Photography Workshop

Day 1 (Overnight at Xiamen)
Arrival at Xiamen,China.
Get-to-know-each-other-session and pre-trip briefing on outline of Workshop.
Photo Sharing session for Michael Freeman to understand participant’s Photography.

Day 2 (Overnight at Nanjing Earth Building, Taxia Village)
8am : Leave for Nanjing Earth Building, arriving at noon. Check in Hotel upon arrival.
Evening Photography of the World Cultural Heritage site, Tianluo Keng.
Photo Clinic : Photography Techniques and Composition

Day 3 (Overnight at Nanjing Earth Building)
6am : Dawn photography of the Earth Buildings as villages starts their day.
Photography at He Gui Lou, Shi De Lou, Huai Yuan Lou
Night Photography of Traditional Hakka Puppet Show performance.
Photo Clinic : Photo Review, Critic and selection towards portfolio building

Day 4 (Overnight at Nanjing Earth Building)
Morning Photography at Taxia village.
After breakfast, proceed to Yu Chang Lou, 700years old, slanted-structure Earth Building, Traditional Chinese Lion Dance Performance.
Afternoon photography of the He Keng Earth Building Cluster.
Photo Clinic : Photo Review, Critic and selection towards portfolio building

Day 5 (Overnight at Yong Ding Village, Xia Yang Hot Spring Hotel)
Set off for Yong Ding Village. Photography of Nan Xi Earth Buildings Corridor. Rice Terrace, and World Cultural Heritage Yan Xiang Lou.
Photo Clinic : Photo Review, Critic and selection towards portfolio building

Day 6 (Overnight at Xiamen)
Morning Photography at World Cultural Heritage, Chu Xi Earth Buildings Cluster. Afternoon at Qi Chen Lou.
Depart for Xiamen in the Evening.
Photo Cinic : Final Selection for Portfolio and Workshop Debrief

Day 7
Group dismiss from Xiamen.

Package Price :
USD 2550 covers local basic insurance, all transport, accommodation and meals (unless otherwise stated) and invaluable coaching from Master Michael Freeman.

Accommodation :
Xiamen : 5* North Bay hotel, Jing Min
Nanjing / Yong Ding: Standard Double rooms in Earth Building Village.

Transport : Luxury Air Conditioned Coach.

Package Price excludes :
Tips for the Driver USD2 per day per pax
All personal expenditure not stated in itinerary

Total number of participants are limited to 10. This is to ensure maximum attention can be paid to all participants.

The Workshop leader and Organizer reserves the right to make necessary changes to the program in case of unexpected and unavoidable conditions. Eg. Weather, Riot, Natural Disasters, etc


A note from Michael Freeman

Called tulou in Chinese (meaning ‘earthen building’), these are, in my opinion, the most exceptional and outstanding vernacular buildings anywhere in the world. Just my opinion, of course, but after four decades of photographing architecture, mainly domestic, for some 29 books, including China Style, Space, Adobe and China Home, I’ve never been so impressed. Imagine, three and four-storey fortified buildings, most of rammed earth and home to as many as 300 people. As one Danish architect put it, “in many respects, a tulou is a village.” Not only that, but there are over 3,000 of them, scattered around the Wuyi mountains and valleys of southwest Fujian province, and they come in a variety of shapes, with 1,000 of them circular. Other than a few temples, there are no other circular traditional buildings anywhere in China.

The first time you see them from high up on the hillside, I guarantee it will bring you to a stop. Here’s one cluster, Tianluokeng, locally jokingly referred to as ‘Four Dishes and One Soup’ (an old term in Chinese cuisine dating back to the Ming Dynasty), for obvious reasons. And in 1985 or 1986 (the accounts conflict), a U.S. KH22 spy satellite recorded an even more directly-overhead view. Pity the poor analyst who thought there might be up to a thousand missile silos scattered around the countryside (yes, really).

This trip is going to be one of those delightful photographic combinations of interesting architecture and people. You can exercise your architectural photography skills, with plenty of tips from me, from a distance, and then we’ll go inside and talk to, and photograph, the inhabitants. The tulou were built between the 13th and 20th centuries by the Hakka who migrated south through China, and developed this unique style of clan building as a means of protection and defence - for most of the history, these were remote and lawless areas.