Rare photos have dazzled for generations

Early European shooters captured these insights into 19th century China

When Dutch professional wildlife photographer Marsel van Oosten's picture of two golden snub-nosed monkeys resting on an outcrop of rock in the Qinling Mountains won the most recent Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, he became the latest in a long list of shutterbugs to win praise for images taken in China.

The rich and colorful scene shot in Northwest China's Shaanxi province titled The Golden Couple captures the monkeys' stoic reaction to a fight among unseen members of their group and accentuates their lush fur, and the male's distinctive blue face.