Aiming for the skies

He seeks unexplored night scenes, from the remote wilderness of the Himalayas to the still pristine night sky above cultural heritage sites. His long-term project, "Silk Road at Night", takes him across the world to photograph and exhibit images. Over the years, he has traveled to more than 20 countries and captured the night sky above many famous landmarks, such as the pyramids in Egypt and Moai on Easter Island.

"Many historical heritage sites reflect ancient people's contemplation of the cosmos," he said. "For instance, the correlation between Orion's Belt and the Giza pyramids in Egypt — the three pyramids are aligned in a way that mirrors the three stars of Orion's Belt. Through my work, I aim to showcase the celestial contemplation."

However, many historical sites are closed to visitors at night, posing a challenge for his photography. In Iran, a local stargazing friend helped him secure permission to visit Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (c. 550-330 BC), after hours. On Easter Island, when he was unable to obtain a permit, he resorted to climbing over a fence with a local friend to capture photos of the Moai statues under a starry sky.

"A guard caught us later that night and asked me to delete my photos," he said. "I complied, but fortunately, I was able to recover the images once I returned to China."

One of the photos, "Stargazing Giant", from the daring escapade, inspired N.J. Hynes, a poet born in Minnesota and based in London, to write a poem titled Tracking Light, Stacking Time. Both the poem and the photo were later published in The Washington Post.

Reflecting on Dai's photo in the newspaper, Hynes wrote: "Seven stone moai stared at me, waiting, as I stared back at them, watching. Only they were framed by the immensity of the Milky Way and the passing of time, constructed by islanders over 600 years ago — several centuries before the setting of the meridian line at the observatory that would make Greenwich the 'birthplace' of time."

Dai commented that creating a work that can move viewers is the ultimate goal of his art.