A Tribute to Our Dear Friend: Luna Zhang (1971-2009)

A talented photographer and dear friend of this magazine passed away recently. Luna Zhang died in the early morning of September18. She was 38.

If you ever met Luna, you would have been astonished to know her age. She had a youthful energy, a chirpy and wide-eyed way of talking, and a bubbly laugh that radiated an eternal innocence. Yet at the same time, she was also tall and graceful, with dignified cheekbones and poignant eyes, and walked into rooms commanding attention.

Luna liked to eat good things, like steak and chocolate. She liked good music too, like jazz and reggae.

She was one of the first people I had come to know when I first arrived in Beijing in the summer of 2007. At the time, I was the editor of tbjkids (now beijingkids); Luna shot many of our covers and features. Prior to that, she had worked intimately with tbj for many years, and even served as the wedding photographer for our Editorial Director.

But Luna was also a highly sought-after commercial photographer with assignments that took her all over China – and a documenter of Beijing’s music scene, making many of the portraits seen in circulation today.

Some of these musicians – Long Shen Dao, Yaksa, Muma, Miserable Faith – held a benefit concert for Luna last June at Yugong Yishan. That night, approximately RMB 25,000 was raised – RMB 9,000 in ticket sales, the rest in donations – to allow Luna to receive much-needed surgery that would address a clogged blood vessel. The procedure did not, however, tackle the larger problem at hand, which was the need for a new liver.

And so a second effort began last month to help raise more funds. This new drive would also help Luna accomplish one of her life’s dreams: to have an exhibition of her work.

Two exhibitions of Luna’s work will be taking place this month: one at Yugong Yishan, running until October 10, and another at the Modern Sky Festival (October 4-7, see below). Luna will not be here to see them through. But I am certain, despite having struggled immensely over the past six months, that in the end she was able to find some comfort in knowing her work would be exhibited, and that all money raised through sales of her photographs would assist her grieving family.

If you happen to be in either of these places in the coming weeks, take a moment to stop and look at the powerful images Luna was able to capture in her brief lifetime. If any of them happen to move you, purchase one – not only because doing so will help to ease the many burdens her family now faces – but also because it will help someone who was too young to die, live on.

Lisa Liang, Managing Editor

Luna Zhang Charity Photography Exhibition
Two exhibitions will be held over the next two weeks, displaying Luna’s band portraits and shots of Beijing rock bands in concert. For more information or inquiries about purchasing photographs, contact 136 7109 4537.

Sep 26 - Oct 10 (Part 1)
The opening is 2-4pm on Sep 26. Yugong Yishan. 3-2 Zhangzizhong Lu (100m west of Zhangzizhong Lu subway station), Dongcheng District.
愚公移山, 东城区平安大道张自忠路3-2号(地铁五号线张自忠路站往西100米)

October 4-7 (Part 2)
Modern Sky Festival 2009
Chaoyang Park. 1 Nongzhan Nanlu, Chaoyang District. (6506 5409)