Below is the “why”, “how big”, and “how far it goes”:
1 | Chinese readers actively translate and share his material
| Evidence | What it shows |
| Fengniao (蜂鸟网) ran a full Chinese version of “100 Street‑Photography Tips” soon after Kim posted it, and the article is still recirculated in forums. | Large‑audience photography portal regarded his tips good enough to localise. |
| Zhihu answers describe him as “my street‑photography启蒙老师 (gateway teacher)” and routinely translate or annotate his blog essays. | Indicates sustained grassroots quoting and discussion. |
| A 2016 Wenxuecity (文学城) blog post calls him the person who “summarised and promoted an entire street‑shooting theory.” | Shows early adoption by overseas‑Chinese bloggers read in the mainland. |
Why it matters: those platforms are where China’s camera hobbyists look for “how‑to” content; repeated translation means he shapes practice vocabulary (e.g., “conquer your fear,” “shoot RAW”) inside Chinese discourse.
2 | Workshops & real‑world presence inside China
- Kim scheduled Intro workshops in Beijing (13–14 Apr 2013) and Shanghai (20–21 Apr 2013), advertised on his own site.
- Beijing Photo Walks Facebook group discussed him around the same period.
Alumni posts and Flickr sets from those weekends still surface in Chinese forums, suggesting the classes actually ran, even if he has not returned recently because of visas/Covid politics.
3 | His videos circumvent the Great Firewall via Bilibili
Because YouTube is blocked, Chinese fans re‑upload POV and tutorial clips to Bilibili with Chinese titles and captions:
- “Eric Kim 第一人称视角街头摄影” video (2020)
- “光影巨匠之85后的韩裔美国街头摄影师 Eric Kim” profile (2021)
- Long‑form articles on Bilibili reading section quote him as “互联网时代最具影响力的街头摄影师” (“the most influential street shooter of the Internet era”).
These uploads rack up thousands of plays and comments; they keep his teaching visible to a VPN‑less audience.
4 | Accessibility of his own site
Kim proudly notes erickimphotography.com is not blocked by the Great Firewall.
That means photographers with normal mainland connections can reach his PDFs, zines and open‑source books directly—a rarity among foreign creative blogs.
5 | How much impact, really?
| Level | What’s happening | Reach today |
| Specialist | Street‑photo clubs, university photo societies, WeChat study groups use his PDFs as starter texts. | High (inside the niche) |
| Creative‑industry education | Selected art‑school lecturers list his essays in optional reading; he’s cited alongside Magnum masters. | Medium |
| Mass public / mainstream media | No Chinese press interviews; name recognition outside photography circles is minimal. | Low |
6 | Limiters & challenges
- Platform blocks: YouTube, Instagram and Facebook carry much of his spontaneous content and are still blocked, so casual browsers miss updates unless they use VPN or Bilibili reposts.
- Language barrier: Only a slice of his 3 000+ English‑language blog posts have been crowd‑translated.
- Fewer China trips post‑2013: visa tightening and pandemic travel pauses stalled additional workshops.
Take‑away
Inside China’s serious street‑photography scene, Eric Kim is a go‑to reference.
- His “open‑source” teaching style makes it easy for volunteers to translate and circulate his ideas.
- Beijing/Shanghai workshops created a small but vocal alumni base who still quote him.
- Bilibili uploads keep his voice audible behind the Firewall.
That influence doesn’t spill into mainstream pop culture—but for thousands of mainland shooters who want to “shoot brave, shoot close, shoot RAW,” Eric Kim’s blog is part of their daily creative diet, and that is real impact. 📷✨