China's story, captured through a camera lens

It was there and in Guangdong I became more immersed in the life of rural southern China. In northern Guangdong, Lianzhou was home to a sizeable Yao population living in traditional villages on forested hillsides, overlooking valleys with rivers meandering through rice fields. In the southern parts of the province close to the South China Sea, there were many chances to experience village life close to the small city of Taishan. Thankfully my camera recorded the scenes at every opportunity.

I found the jagged limestone pinnacles rising around western Guangdong villages inspiring and artistic. At times it felt poetic as I looked out on such landscapes from a train hauled by a steam locomotive. It was by train I reached Guilin and the "out-of-this-world" landscapes around Yangshuo in the summer of 1993. As a geographer I was transfixed by the limestone and karst scenery.

This all gave me an incentive to travel to find more beauty across the country. A 1994 journey led me again by train from Beijing to Sichuan. There, sitting above the confluence of the Dadu and Min Rivers was Dafo, or "The Great Buddha" carved into sandstone cliffs. On the river were reminders of the close relationship people have had for centuries with waters that are tributaries of China's mighty Yangtze. At Leshan, I watched as simple wooden boats rowed in scenes that felt timeless. Today, such boats will have disappeared, replaced by road bridge construction and fast, motorised vessels zooming across the water.