China has some of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes in the world, but it is the people that really draw me to the country. One of my favorite things to do is sit, watch, and photograph people in rural China going about their daily activities. It’s also a great way to make some friends along the way. 
The small village of Xingping lies a few hours outside of Guilin and is home to many of the traditional cormorant fishermen of China - cormorant fishing uses trained birds to assist fishermen in their daily duties. Unfortunately, due to the increase in tourism, as well as modern fishing practices, cormorant fishing is not practiced today, but I was lucky enough to meet one of the oldest traditional fishermen in the area, Grandpa Huang.
I saw a photo of this picturesque stone bridge a while back while scouting the internet and was immediately determined to shoot there. Luckily, my good friend from Guilin knew the spot, and we drove all the way to Tianxin Village to catch the sunrise behind the incredible karst peaks - just in time to photograph a local buffalo farmer starting his daily activities.
Fenghuang is a beautiful ancient town comprised of hundreds of stilt houses sitting on the bank of the Tuo Jiang river in China's Hunan province. A morning walk around the town will take you back in time as the local women are often seen dressed in their traditional headwear and dresses.
Chongqing, a bustling metropolis in Central China, is home to some 30 million inhabitants. Here, a local worker gets ready to transport goods across the city.
Grandpa Huang gets ready to demonstrate the art of fishing with cormorants as the sun sets behind the enormous karst peaks in the distance.
One of my favorite ancient towns in China, Fenghuang is bustling with tourists and local sellers alike. Despite the rain, shooting this incredibly photogenic town was one of my favorite mornings to date.
A domestic tourist enjoys the sights and sounds of Fenghuang, while a lady dressed in traditional Hunan clothing poses for photos with the visitors.
My first trip to Yunnan in 2015 was nothing short of spectacular, and it was here that my interest in photographing China really started. The rice terraces, which look completely different in each season, were forged by the Hani people thousands of years ago, and remain to this day an important aspect of local life.
The stilt houses surrounding the river running through Fenghuang depict rural China’s ancient roots. Here, a local litter picker takes his boat out to pick up trash floating down the river.
A time in Yunnan is a great way to experience the quiet beauty of China, and this is one of my favorite places to visit in the country. Take a hike through the beautiful rice terraces and you'll spot plenty of farmers carrying baskets of ducks down to the water’s edge to swim amongst the terraces for the day.
