People exercise as a woman prays at Jingshan Park near Forbidden City in Beijing.[Photo by Akash Ghai/ China Daily]

Besides this, I was concerned with what I wanted to say about China through my photographs. Did I want to blindly add to the ongoing narrative or focus on aspects that one doesn't see in the news. Would I spend my time photographing the guards at Tian'anmen Square or rather be exploring the punk scene in Beijing? Many of these answers became clearer when I began documenting the city through news assignments and daily features.

My first assignment came minutes after I arrived at the photo department. There was a loud procession on the street outside and my editor told me to run. Getting there I realized the procession was a traditional Chinese wedding between an American and a Chinese girl. It was a unique and exciting start to my internship. The photo was published on page two and was widely circulated online; I was elated.