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)

Video bloggers stream live broadcast of an event to celebrate the fourth birthday of the world's only giant panda triplets, Meng Meng, Shuai Shuai and Ku Ku, at Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou, China July 29, 2018. (Photo by Bobby Yip/Reuters)

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)

Residents walk past an overturned car as the cleanup begins from severe flooding in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., Friday, June 24, 2016. (Photo by Steve Helber/AP Photo)

Nutrias venture near the camera at the river Nidda in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 15 June 2017. The rabbit sized animals are often confused with biebers by amateurs. (Photo by Boris Roessler/DPA)

A group of girls hit the town in York, United Kingdom on December 30, 2020. Revellers hit the streets for a final drink before being plunged into Tier 4 lockdown. (Photo by Nb press ltd)

Giant pandas eat at Chongqing Zoo in Chongqing, China on September 23, 2023. (Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Attendants wait for visitors to the the exhibition entitled “Forging Ahead in the New Era”, showing the country's achievements during his past two terms, at the Beijing Exhibition Center in Beijing on October 12, 2022, ahead of the 20th Communist Party Congress meeting. (Photo by Noel Celis/AFP Photo)