At the age of nine Francis Wu 吳章建, then going to school in Hawaii, was already intensely curious about photography. With US$6 which he had saved, he bought a camera.
When he had finished the first film, he removed it in broad daylight, and it was only when he took the film to be developed that he learnt that an undeveloped film must never be exposed to light. Francis Wu paid particular attention to chemistry when he was in high school in Hawaii. After he enrolled in Lingnan University in Guangzhou in 1932, he organized a photographic team, thus embarking on a life-long journey in photography.
Francis Wu became a renowned photographer from 1935; so many photographic bodies worldwide recognized his achievement that we cannot begin to list his titles and offices. The most prestigious were honorary fellowship of the Professional Photographers' Association of America, and the presidency of the Swiss International Photographic Alliance.
At the invitation of the Photographic Society of America Francis Wu lectured in twenty-four states in the United States on the topic "Art Photography from the Chinese Point of View", his goal being to explicate the Chinese concept of beauty.
A fine author and editor, Francis Wu published several volumes, including Chinese Photography, Beautiful Chinese Ladies through My Lens, and Photographs of Women in Ancient Costumes.