CHINA: Photo of the Week: “The Master at His Desk”

While traveling in southwest China, Emyr Pugh shot this picture of a master calligrapher in the village of Tunjiao, the grand prize winner in the World in Focus Photo Contest. Master Weng—a retired literature teacher—was preparing to write a traditional blessing.

"His desk was pushed up against a large window overlooking the main street of Tunjiao," Pugh says. "A wall across the street reflected light into his studio."

Using a collapsed tripod as a monopod, Pugh moved about to shoot from different angles. He says his work as a translator and interpreter in Inner Mongolia has opened doors to him.

"Communication is part of what I hope to achieve with photography. Being able to communicate one-on-one gives me the chance to photograph many people I couldn't approach otherwise."

Pugh won a ten-day safari for on in Tanzania, courtesy National Geographic Expeditions.

Click here to see a photo gallery of all the winning images.

JAPAN: Day of the Kamikaze

Trace the origins of kamikaze battle, and relive two days of horror in 1945, when the Japanese launched "Operation Heaven" against the allied fleet in the Pacific. This award-winning documentary details the biggest and bloodiest suicide attack in history, with unforgettable footage and eyewitness accounts.

Attack on USS Bunker Hill

The USS Bunker Hill experiences an entirely new kind of war. Without warning, two suicide bombers dive straight into the carrier, causing chaos and death.

Battle of Okinawa

On April 6th, 1945, waves of kamikaze planes attack at Okinawa.

Day of the Kamikaze

Veterans called it, "enemy attrition at the lowest possible cost, without regard to human life." Entire squadrons of Japanese kamikaze pilots flew straight to their death - taking their enemies with them.

View air times on the Smithsonian Channel HD…