TALK BY AWARD-WINNING U.S. PHOTOGRAPHER MICHAEL YAMASHITA

East Meets West,
The Epic Journeys of Marco Polo and Zheng He: One Belt, One Road

Having traveled the world for National Geographic for over 30 years, award-winning photographer Michael Yamashita has a special affinity for trailblazers such as Marco Polo and Zheng He. He’s followed the 13th century footsteps of Marco Polo -- from Venice to the Far East – and of Chinese admiral Zheng He, whose 300-ship fleet made seven voyages along the maritime Silk Road a century before Europe's great age of exploration. With Beijing’s One Belt, One Road initiative retracing the ancient itineraries of Marco Polo and Zheng He, Yamashita will present a timely photographic and historical narrative of the travels of these two men, both of whom were well ahead of their times.

WHAT: “JOURNEYS OF MARCO POLO AND ZHENG HE” by U.S. photographer Michael Yamashita
WHEN: Wednesday Nov. 8, 19:00 to 20:30 PM
WHERE: The British House, Blg 4, Beijing Fun, Xiheyan St., Dashilar tel: 64612122   英园北京市西城区大栅栏西河沿街北京坊四号楼【LINK www.thebritishouse.com.cn]
HOW MUCH: RMB 50 for members of RASBJ, Yale Club, and CHP volunteers; (please prepare to show proof of membership); RMB 100 for non-members.

 
NOTE: The talk will be held in the British House tearoom, which serves afternoon tea, beverages, and dinner until 10 PM; if you wish to dine there after the talk, at your own expense, please order beforehand by phone or before the event. RASBJ thanks co-hosts Courtyard Institute, Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center (CHP), Yale Club of Beijing, British House, and Guangan Holdings/Beijing-Dashilar-Liulichang Cultural Development Ltd.
 
MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Photographer Michael Yamashita was born in San Francisco in 1949, and began working for National Geographic in 1979. Since then he's traveled widely, from Somalia to Sudan, from U.K. to Papua New Guinea. He's specialized in Asia for the past decade, and is the author of more than nine photographic books such as Zheng He: Tracing the Epic Voyages of China’s Greatest Explorer, Japan: The Soul of a Nation, and Marco Polo, A Photographer’s Journey. Yamashita has won numerous awards from the National Press Photographers Association and the Asian American Journalists Association.