By CGTN’s Peng Hanming and Zheng Quanbin

If you’ve visited the Great Wall, you might have come across some amateur photographers asking if you would pay ten yuan for a photo with China’s iconic structure in the background. Some of these self-taught photographers are local farmers who work part-time to make ends meet.

Zhou Wanping was one of them when he was 20. The man, now in his 50s, lives in a small village at the foot of the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall in Luanping County, Chengde, Hebei Province. His first camera was a used one. But even then, owning it wasn’t easy for Zhou, who is handicapped in one arm and one leg. He worked extremely hard carrying bricks, and scraped by for 18 months before he could afford it.

“My interest in photographing the Great Wall began when I was taking photos for tourists,” said Zhou. Looking at the Great Wall though his camera lens, he was amazed by the majestic view – especially when rainbows, colorful clouds and fog appeared. 

One year later after taking photographs for random visitors, Zhou turned to a new model – the Great Wall itself. This seemed to be a key that unlocked his enormous talent.

Zhou simply headed out to the mountains where the Great Wall sits, with nothing but his camera and tripod. He braved the rain, snow and even lightning storms in order to take unique photographs which were never seen before. He practiced over and over again until he finally figured out the proper framing and lighting techniques.

Hard work paid off. His photos were published, some even winning him awards. In 1998, 13 years after he first photographed the Great Wall, he received a letter from UNESCO, congratulating him on winning the second place in the International World Heritage Photo Competition. Judges had to pick from 49,000 photographs taken by photographers from 91 countries. His winning photograph captured the Great Wall partly covered in a sea of clouds.  

When receiving the award in Paris, Zhou said, "It is the charm of the Great Wall itself rather than my techniques that made my works stand out."

Three decades have passed, but Zhou continues photographing the iconic landmark. He has been called “The Great Wall Watcher” and “The Son of the Great Wall” for his dedication. Furthermore, he is so proud of where he is from that one of his books is entitled “Jinshangling”, featuring many of his stunning photos taken there. 

“I take the photos of the Great Wall because I want more people to know of its existence and the breathtaking beauty it has,” said Zhou who tries to preserve national pride in his own way.

(Video filmed by Yan Jingwei; edited by Feng Ran; post-production by Wu Junwei. Natalie Pang also contributed to this report.)