Though his work had been mostly unknown to the West, he gained prominence through the efforts of many. Most notable was the International Biennial photography festival in Houston, FotoFest, in 1996 where he had his first exhibition outside Asia. At the same time, Magnum photographer Marc Riboud (noted as the father of Chinese photojournalism) promoted Wu Jialin's work and wrote an essay for his book, Surprises.
Additional honors include the 1997 Mother Jones Award for Documentary Photography and inclusion in an exhibition in 1997 at the International Center for Photography Museum (ICP) in New York. He was also selected by Henri Cartier-Bresson for the Le Choix d'Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibition and catalogue in 1999.