Earlier this year, I went to the Gobi Desert to photograph the Shenzhou-19, a rocket launched by China, carrying three astronauts into space. Photo: Michael Zhang
2024 was a year full of lots of change, new experiences and professional career achievements! I travelled to five new countries and moved twice this year.
I spent the beginning of the year preparing for my move to Hong Kong, a city I have always dreamed of living in. My family is from Hong Kong and growing up, I did not always fully appreciate the trips we took over there, but now as an adult, I recognize what an amazing city it always was and continues to develop into: rich with cultures, diversity and liveliness. All the locals I talk to say it’s not like “it once was”, meaning a lot has changed in the last few years but for me, as someone who has lived up until now entirely in the western world, I enjoyed a change in scenery and reporting on different topics not focused on in Canada.
The cable car on Lantau, Hong Kong. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to live and work in Hong Kong earlier this year. It is one of my favourite cities in the world.
I moved to Hong Kong because I wanted to do more international reporting and to achieve a life goal: living in Asia. I quickly settled into a pace of assignments and projects; making a life for myself outside of work, exploring Hong Kong through hikes outside the city and food around the island and territories. On non-assignment days, I enjoyed settling into my favourite coffee shop in Wan Chai while tackling some editing. At night, I took strolls around the Victoria Harbour at Tsim Sha Tsui, amongst the tourists. There was always a light, pleasant breeze near the water, and while the lights across the harbour of the skyline shone, I felt awe, excitement and a delicious sense of anonymity being in a city of 7.4 million people.
Muscat, Oman
In the spring, I found out I had been awarded my first grant to work on a photo project, so I flew back to Canada to start the photography. But before that, I took a trip to Muscat, Doha and Dhaka. I have not travelled extensively to the gulf previously so this trip was meant to be a short trip to familiarize myself with the culture and climate. In Muscat, I went boating with dolphins, walked around the old town and hung out at the beaches. In Doha, I explored the unique mishmash of architecture around the city and the delicious food in the Westbank. The city has a lot of nationalities living there (75%+ of the population are expats), so the food scene is diverse and well-developed to accommodate all of the preferences of the people living there. In Dhaka, I rode on a local bus, went to the Pink Palace and took long walks around the city with my camera.
A beach in Muscat, Oman
Back in Canada, it was summer again. A photojournalism group I volunteer with, Room Upfront, had just been accepted to exhibit at Nuit Blanche, in Toronto. Since high school, when I attended one of my first Nuit Blanche all-night art events, it had always been a dream of mine to one day participate as an artist in this event, so it was a dream come true to finally organize and exhibit at Nuit Blanche.
The Katara Towers in Doha, Qatar. I first saw these towers in a photograph a few years ago and have since been trying to visit Qatar to see them in person, which I finally got to do earlier this year!
I feel so fortunate to be a part of Room Upfront, a volunteer-run mentorship program for photographers of colour in Canada. I first joined as a mentee and during the last couple of years, I have been giving back as a mentor. After four years of knowing the photographers from this group virtually, we finally met up as a big group in person in Toronto this year. It was such a delight to chat in real life with people I have mostly only known through computer screens and social media. Usually, when a group of photojournalists meet, eventually the topic of conversation becomes heavy because of all the hits the news industry has taken in the past few years, but that night, the bar only buzzed with good energy.
Dhaka, Bangladesh
During this time, there was a little secret I was keeping to myself. I was planning to move to China but I couldn’t tell anyone because I was waiting for my work visa to come through. So I took a trip to Copenhagen, one of my favourite cities in the world. After a few blissful days of stuffing my face with mouth-watering food that is inexpensive in Europe but ridiculously overpriced in North America (cheese and cold cuts mostly), I went on a road trip with a friend. We took a ferry across the Baltic Sea and drove down to Berlin for a few days and then to Cologne and Wetzlar to see the Leica museum. I had not been back to this part of Europe since 2013 and it was interesting to see my feelings about these places have not changed in ten years. I still love Copenhagen and think Berlin is overrated.
The CCTV tower in Beijing, China, on assignment for EPA
On my way back to Canada, I took a quick trip to Baku and Yerevan. I enjoyed foods that were new to me and took in lots of stunning architecture, most notably the Heydar Aliyev Center.
When I got back to Toronto, my visa was approved. It was time to move to China.
The Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan. I was trying to get a seat at a specific restaurant for omurice but they were full that night and the next night as well. I ended up with this photo instead.
I packed my belongings into suitcases, said goodbye to family and friends for the second time within a year and arrived in Beijing after a day of travel.
The Shenzhou-19 rocket launches near Jiaqian, China, October 30, 2024. Photo for EPA
I am still adjusting to life in China and have been fortunate to see some amazing things during my time here. I photographed my first international fashion show, my first world-class tennis competition and travelled to the Gobi desert to photograph a rocket launch. On days off, I travelled to the Great Wall of China, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong, again. In the fall and winter, two of my photographs appeared in The New York Times, accomplishing another goal I had set early on in my career.
Maggie Ma, for China Fashion Week, in Beijing, China, on assignment for EPA
It’s been an exhilarating and full year overall filled with lots of travel, a diversity of photo projects and assignments; and also many new experiences. I have been lucky to witness so many varied events and places this year; and to be part of different communities. I look forward to a little break in the new year to rest and to do a little diving but other than that, I’m excited to continue to unravel the full experience of working as a foreign correspondent in China.
The Great Wall of China, near Beijing.
I owe a lot of thanks for all of the successes I’ve had this year. In no particular order: thanks to my editors for the assignments and opportunities. Thank you to the Nuit Blanche selection committee for picking our project, thank you to the New York Times’ photo editors for picking my photos, thank you to the grant selection committee for funding my project. Thank you to my Room Upfront community and my journalism peers for endless inspiration, keeping my mind fed and for being my cheerleaders. A rising tide lifts all boats. Thanks for following along on my photo journey and I’ll see you next year!
Posing with camels in the Gobi Desert while on our way to one of the most packed media trips I have ever been on. Photo: Michael Zhang