China through its own eyes

Abrand-new camera, itself worth a considerable amount of money, has managed to return to its owner with a much higher value after taking part in a national relay.

The camera left Beijing in late October last year, and traveled over 42,200 kilometers across more than 30 provinces. During the course of its journey, it passed through the hands of 34 people, who were all originally strangers, and recorded moments from their daily lives in a series of approximately 2,000 photos. After nearly 300 days and nights, in August it returned to Li Chenyang, who kicked off the relay.

"Similar relay games have existed for a long time, but I had never heard of anyone using a camera as a baton," says the Beijing resident, who works as an internet influencer on the popular video-sharing platform, Bilibili.

The idea instantly appealed to him and he started making preparations.

"I felt I'd get a sense of achievement if I could pull it off, having different people capture their style and ideas through pictures taken with the same camera," he says.

He asked candidates to shoot whatever they felt most strongly about, and there was no limit in terms of subject.

Li dug into his own pocket to purchase the camera, which cost 60,000 yuan ($8,218).

"I made sure it wasn't complicated to use, so even someone who has only taken photos with a smartphone would quickly get the hang of it, and be able to photograph the moments they desired," Li explains.

Then, he launched an appeal for interested candidates.

The response exceeded his expectations, with more than 20,000 people answering the call after he uploaded a video outlining his plan to Bilibili, where he is better-known for posting about video games and career exploration, and, in doing so, has managed to accrue more than 120,000 followers since 2015.

Applications flooded in from all parts of the country, including Tianjin, and Jilin and Qinghai provinces, as well as the Tibet autonomous region and Hong Kong.

"I figured it was because a lot of them had a habit of taking photos, and the threshold for taking part was very low," Li says.

He then asked applicants to fill in a questionnaire, and made a point of choosing people with different career backgrounds, who had a certain level of photography experience and good ideas.

He eventually picked 34 photography enthusiasts, each from a different province or region.

Li also included a notebook with the camera, so that participants could record how they felt during the process.

He handed the camera to the participant in Beijing in person, but the rest of the relay was conducted via express delivery.

When the camera came back safe and sound, Li discovered that many of the photos were unexpectedly good. He chose one from each of the participants and posted it on Bilibili.

The first one from Beijing was of an autumn street scene, with golden ginkgo leaves reflected in the roadside puddles after rain, revealing the charm of the city.

As the camera moved south, the scenery changed.

The photo from Fujian province captured a market adorned with red lanterns on the eve of the Spring Festival and moved many viewers with its strong festive atmosphere.

There was no wintry feel in the photo from southern Hainan, which brought out the tropical island province's polychromatic landscape.

As the camera continued its travels, the photos became richer, and the one from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region stunned viewers with its display of horses galloping on the grasslands in the shadow of a volcano.

The one from Hong Kong highlighted the city's skyline and docks, while the picture from Qinghai offered a glimpse into the remote northwestern region.

In addition to distinctive scenery, many participants used the camera to capture the mundanities of everyday life.

One took selfies on their way back home from a night shift. Some captured special moments with family, and another shot their last meal at school.

Wen Xianglie from Zhejiang province decided to snap a childhood memory when he got the camera.

"I think the meaning of photography is to transform fleeting memories into something eternal," the 20-something says.

"Since I didn't have the means to capture moments from the past when I was little, the first thing that came to mind was my alma mater, which is brimming with childhood memories," he says.

Wen chronicled himself and former classmates revisiting their primary school. He says the experience made him realize the beauty of life, and will be a constant reminder to strive to live a better one.

The diverse themes in the photos are exactly what Li had in mind when he started the project.

"I'd like people to see the diversity of individuals," he says, adding that he believes that video limits what people can express.

"In reality, there are many different styles, genres, and a lot of content in the world," he says, adding that, in future rounds of the relay, he wants more people to capture their abilities, talents and experiences.

To date, the video he made about the photos has received more than 9 million views on Bilibili and has become the most popular on his account.

Before they sent the camera to the next person, the participants often added personal items — ranging from written notes with exciting details of their photography experience, to postcards and local souvenirs — to the camera bag, which Li received when the relay ended.

He was most moved by the participant from Jilin province, who pieced a series of photos together, one of his grandmother, another of the revolutionary war medals of his grandfather, who passed away two years ago, and scenes of a lake.

He wrote that both his grandparents had a deep emotional connection to Jilin, a former national industrial hub, and that they had both eagerly anticipated a time when their motherland would become more united and powerful.

To invite more people to see the photos, Li organized an exhibition at Beijing's 798 Art Zone.

"We had far more visitors than expected. They lined up for 20 to 30 meters outside," Li recalls.

Many left comments, which Li considers a great addition to the exhibition.

Back online, many Bilibili users have posted their own photographs, somehow extending the relay.

"It feels like an evolution from scattered records into a story co-written by everyone," Li says.

He is proud of the project, and feels he has created something with a positive meaning.

Moreover, he has brought together strangers from the four corners of the country and turned them into friends.

"We now have a WeChat group where they often chat, sharing their experiences and connecting with one another," Li says. "It is very touching, because it makes you realize that people can be very different, while still sharing the same traits, like honesty, enthusiasm and sincerity."

At the moment, he is preparing for the second round of the relay.

"Hopefully, I'll come up with more ways to do this; maybe use a higherend camera, and possibly not confine the relay to China," he says.