A man stands on a jetty on the fog-shrouded Victoria Harbour Wanchai in Hong Kong, China, 22 March 2022. Fog is common in Hong Kong in spr​ingtime when the territory is affected by alternate cold and warm air. (Photo by Jerome Favre/EPA/EFE)

Participants take pictures of themselves as others run past the Tiananmen gate during the Beijing Marathon in Beijing, China, September 17, 2016. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/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)

People walk during a polluted day in Shenyang, Liaoning province, March 31, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

A woman from the Hui Muslim community carries food that will be eaten by her and others to break their fast during the holy fasting month of Ramadan at the Nanxiapo Mosque on June 8, 2018 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Gymnast Simone Biles performs a flip after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Game Two of the 2019 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals at Minute Maid Park on October 23, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

A thrill-seeking storm chaser captured the precise moment these giant lightning bolts lit up dark skies in a series of incredible storms. (Photo by Craig Eccles/Solent News & Photo Agency)

Pausing for a selfie as plum blossoms burst into bloom in Dujiangyan City, in southwest China’s Sichuan province on February 20, 2024. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)