In this Friday, March 3, 2017 photo, a ribbon on a staff member's outfit blows in the breeze as she arrives for the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Congress (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The annual session of China's ceremonial legislature is designed to awe onlookers with its size and sweep, yet the experience is also made up of tiny moments, details that point to the personalities of the participants and the event's unique, sometimes quirky, traits that a casual observer might easily miss. (Photo by Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)

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)

Fabrics dry on bamboo scaffolding on Inle lake in Myanmar, March 2024. The cloth will be made into a traditional garment called a longyi, worn by both sexes. (Photo by Hilton Chen/Solent news)

Soldiers from 12 Mechanized Brigade perform a simulated casualty evacuation at the Ministry of Defence training area at Copehill Down on Salisbury Plain on March 9, 2012 in Wiltshire, England. The Defence Secretary Philip Hammond visited the military facility to meet soldiers from the Brigade who are shortly to deploy to Afghanistan for Operation Herrick 16, and troops from the 3rd Battalion, the Yorkshire regiment which lost five of the six men who died this week in the deadliest single attack in Afghanistan since 2001. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Hostesses pose for photos with a police officer on the motorized vehicle during the third plenary meeting of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at The Great Hall Of The People on March 10, 2012 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Members of security forces secure Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, November 11, 2016. Egypt imposed a big security clampdown in its cities on Friday as mass demonstrations called to protest against austerity measures failed to take place. Riot police and armored vehicles filled the otherwise empty streets of central Cairo, but most people stayed at home. (Photo by Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters)

On Saturday, September 2, 2017, local Chinese villagers gathered to celebrate a folk festival parade known as “Dog carrying Day” in Jiaobang village, Gedong Town, Jianhe county, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Guizhou province. (Photo by Imaginechina/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

“A snapshot from mountaineer's life”. Have you ever wondered how does a mountaineer's day start? I will give you a hint: you wake up at 3 am, set the stove, wake up your partner, pretend it is warm, quickly consume a high-calorie breakfast, watch your friends slowly ascending the icy slopes of your dream summit with their tiny head torches glimmering against perfectly blue ice, and hope for the good weather. One would ask: why all this trouble? The answer is easy: for the love of the adventure and the unknown. Location: Chamonix, Haute Savoye, France. (Photo and caption by Kamil Tamiola/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

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