International reporting is an important component for any journalist, especially one interested in connecting the dots on big-picture stories.

Last spring, sixteen University of Texas at Austin students spent more than four weeks in three different areas of China navigating the ins and outs of international reporting. Led by the Frank A. Bennack Jr. Chair in Journalism, Tracy Dahlby, the students spent the semester considering China’s past, present and future before departing for Beijing at the end of May. The students also spent time in Xiejiaqiao, a rural village of 801 in the Zhejiang Province, and Shanghai, where western influences prevail.

Along the way, the students met with international reporters, visited local businesses, immersed themselves in local culture, and uncovered stories on a variety of topics ranging from health conditions and factory labor in Xiejiaqiao to organic markets and transgender issues in Shanghai.

Collectively, more than 80 stories were cultivated for ChinaInFocus, a website dedicated to showcasing the students’ multimedia work. A collection of photographs taken by students for ChinaInFocus are in the slideshow above. — Avery Holton, School of Journalism doctoral student.