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)

A dog sits in a plastic tub filled with water in Taipei, Taiwan, 28 July 2020. Betel nut seller Mr Luo, the dog's owner, said he puts his dog, a 12-year-old mixed breed called Ah Dai (Stupid), in a plastic tub filled with water whenever the weather gets hot. Ah Dai enjoys the bath and can sit in the basin for hours, according to Mr Luo. Luo has a dozen pairs of glasses for Ah Dai, so the dog wears different glasses every day and many tourists take photos of Ah Dai. (Photo by David Chang/EPA/EFE)

Fisherman transport sharks to the fish market in the traditional fishing port in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 26 August 2020. According to media reports, the marine and fisheries sector is considered as one of the affected by the coronavirus pandemic, affecting more than 3.5 million fishermen and all sectors working throughout the supply chain. (Photo by Hotli Simanjuntak/EPA/EFE)

A Palestinian man uses a sling, during clashes with Israeli forces following the killing of Palestinian assailant Uday Al-Tamimi, in Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on October 20, 2022. (Photo by Mussa Qawasma/Reuters)

Friends and relatives of Palestinian Fulla al-Masalma, 16, mourn during her funeral in the village of Beit Awa, west of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank on November 15, 2022. Israeli forces shot dead the Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank the previous day, the Palestinian health ministry said, while the army confirmed raids and a shooting incident in the area. The Israeli Defence Forces reported that its soldiers had fired at a car that was speeding toward them and that “hits were identified”, but without confirming the fatality. (Photo by Hazem Bader/AFP Photo)

An elephant with a shackled leg is pictured at the Hanoi Zoo in Hanoi on August 16, 2023. Legs in iron chains and unable to roam freely, the treatment of two elderly elephants at the Hanoi public zoo has drawn outrage from animal lovers across Vietnam. (Photo by Nhac Nguyen/AFP Photo)

Models in action at the Kibera Fashion Week event in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, October 14, 2023. (Photo by Brian Inganga/AP Photo)

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)