The peripatetic photographer

Every year, Gao Yaowang, who is in charge of permanent residence registration in Dulongjiang, has to check on the 4,356 residents to ensure that no one fails to receive their government subsidy.

Gao was ordered to provide photos of residents of Xianghong village in the far north of the region, where there are no roads. He started his journey with another soldier.

A landslide had wreaked havoc on the road to their first stop, Xiongdang village, a few days before. Gao, who carried all the camera equipment in a bamboo basket on his back, was forced to bend low as he scrambled through the overhanging trees. At one point, his companion almost fell into the valley when the flood-eroded soil gave way underneath him. Luckily, Gao was able to grab his hand and avert disaster.