Nine years ago, Tom Carter traveled from San Francisco to China, responding to a job posting that turned out to be a scam. He managed to find another job as a teacher, and saved enough money to embark on a 56,000 km trip through all of China's 33 provinces that lasted two years. Carrying a camera – just a a 4-megapixel point-and-shoot – Carter captured some amazing images of the widely varying landscape, people, and architecture across the nation. Photo: Buddhist pilgrim family from Sichuan. (Photo by Tom Carter via The Atlantic)

A woman made-up with the technique of Body Paint seen during the 2nd Spanish tattoo artists Convention of the Only Tattoo Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain on March 17, 2018. (Photo by Ramon Costa/SOPA Images/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A father crosses a road with his twin daughters in Shanghai, China September 28, 2018. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

Tibetan monks in ghoulish costumes perform during a ceremony to chase away the “demon king” to bring peace and happiness for the Tibetan New Year at the Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing, Sunday, February 19, 2023. The annual event has returned after China lifted all bans on public gatherings from the outbreak of COVID-19. (Photo by Andy Wong/AP Photo)

Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine in action during the High Jump in the Meeting de Paris, part of the 2025 Diamond League at Stade Charlety on June 20, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)

A new type of tandem at Alexandra Palace, London. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images). June 1936

A man flies a dragon-shaped kite at a square on March 31, 2006 in Changchun of Jilin Province, China. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi attends the inauguration ceremony of Jacob Zuma on May 9, 2009 in Pretoria, South Africa. Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is South Africa's fourth President since the end of apartheid. (Photo by Foto24/Gallo Images/Getty Images)