A masked reveller poses during the Venice Carnival in Venice, Italy February 17, 2017. (Photo by Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters)

A couple walk on a catwalk in a flooded Saint Mark Square during a period of seasonal high water in Venice on October 29, 2018. Venice frequently floods when high winds push in water from the lagoon, but Monday's levels are exceptional and forecast to rise even higher, to 160 centimeters (nearly 63 inches) by mid-afternoon. (Photo by Manuel Silvestri/Reuters)

Masked revellers pose during the Venice Carnival in Venice, Italy February 11, 2017. The Venice carnival in the historical lagoon city attracts people from around the world. (Photo by Tony Gentile/Reuters)

A reveller wearing a mask and a period costume takes part in the Venice Carnival on February 24, 2019 in Venice, Italy. The carnival in Venice takes place until March 5, 2019. (Photo by Alberto Pizzoli/AFP Photo)

Spanish actress Rossy de Palma poses as she arrives by taxi boat at the pier of the Excelsior Hotel on August 30, 2019 during the 76th Venice Film Festival at Venice Lido. (Photo by Alberto Pizzoli/AFP 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)