French photographer's fascination for Huangshan

HEFEI — At dawn one April day, the summit of the Huangshan Mountain was a world adrift in a swirling sea of clouds and majestic pine trees dotted atop its jagged peaks, as French photographer Nicolas Cornet quickly took photos of the breathtaking scene.

This was Cornet's eighth time at Huangshan Mountain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Anhui province. Every visit, he says, has brought fresh discoveries and renewed inspiration.

The Frenchman's fascination with Huangshan began about a decade ago when he came across photos of the mountain by a Canadian photographer. He was immediately captivated by the mountain's "mysterious landscape" and started planning his own trip there.

In April 2016, Cornet made his first visit to Huangshan. The moment he set eyes on the gnarly pine trees, grotesque rock formations, and endless sea of clouds, he was hooked.

"I instantly fell in love with the mountains and knew I would be spending a lot of time there photographing them," he says.

That first encounter created a bond that would draw him back to Huangshan seven more times over the following nine years. For Cornet, the mountain never lost its allure as each season and each shift in weather revealed fresh and captivating beauty.

"As a landscape photographer, revisiting the same location under different light and weather conditions is essential to creating unique images," he says.

He adds that one of his most memorable experiences was seeing the mountain covered in snow. "It felt like walking through a fairy tale. I rushed between photo spots to make the most of the conditions," he says.

Cornet's visits culminated in a black-and-white photo series about the mountain on his photography website. He explains that the choice of style was directly inspired by traditional Chinese ink paintings.

In February this year, Cornet's photographs were exhibited at the Xposure International Photography Festival in the United Arab Emirates. He says that while many visitors had never heard of the mountain before, several began planning trips after seeing his photos.

The photographer says Huangshan has offered him far more than stunning images; it has opened a window on Chinese hospitality.

He says local residents have been very friendly to international tourists like him, and he has built friendships with Chinese photographers.

He says that as Huangshan continues to gain international recognition, services have been improving to accommodate the growing number of overseas visitors. "I've also noticed that some staff at key locations now speak English, which is very helpful," he says.

He also hails China's visa-free entry policies, which made his two most recent trips to Huangshan much easier.

Currently, China grants unilateral visa-free entry to 38 countries, including France, and has extended the transit visa-free period to 240 hours for travelers from 54 countries.

Cornet says he expects the relaxed entry policies to attract more international tourists to China.

He is already planning his next trip to Huangshan. With a new cableway set to open, he says he looks forward to exploring and photographing parts of the mountain that were previously less accessible. "It will open up new creative opportunities for me."

Xinhua