Monks dressed as Tibetan Buddhism characters attend a religious ceremony, known as “Da Gui” or beating ghost, to celebrate the upcoming Tibetan New Year which starts on March 1 at Yonghegong Lama Temple, in Beijing February 28, 2014. This Tibetan ceremony is held annually at the end of the first lunar month with mask dancing to expel ghosts, according to a press release. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)

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)

Actress Brittany Snow takes a selfie with a fan at The 2015 MTV Movie Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on April 12, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

A girl and boy carry a basket of fish in Kyaukpyu township, Rakhine state, Myanmar October 6, 2015. (Photo by Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters)

A motorcycle-taxi driver takes a nap while leaning on his bike along a street in Bangkok, Thailand on February 17, 2019. (Photo by Jewel Samad/AFP Photo)

A man steers with his legs while riding a motorcycle on a road in Vietnam's northern Hoa Binh province, outside Hanoi, October 15, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/Kham)

A model prepares backstage during the body painting show : Miracle World The Ocean organized by Unipa Surabaya at Grand Atrium Royal Plaza on June 21, 2021 in Surabaya, Indonesia. (Photo by Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images)

A protester is covered in red paint during a demonstration against the government of Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha and in support of the release of political prisoners outside Bangkok Remand Prison in Bangkok on October 13, 2021. (Photo by Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP Photo)