Yushu Photo Collection

Journeys are always brief. They leave us tired, excited, surprised, yet fascinated. Sorting through the photographs after a journey is a special ritual. As it begins, the smells, temperatures, scenes, and feelings all come rushing back.

And so, the ten-day journey through Yushu came to an end. The complete travelogue is as follows:

  1. Let’s Go to Yushu!
  2. Toward Yushu, Crossing the Yellow River Three Times
  3. First Encounter with Western Sichuan
  4. Jiangjiaduode, the Mountain We Never Saw
  5. Hello, Nangqên
  6. The Legend of Duolunduo
  7. Duolunduo, a Hidden Paradise
  8. Sacred Mount Gado Jowo
  9. Leaving Yushu, Following the Yellow River Downstream
  10. The Long Way to Amne Machin
  11. Back to Where It Began

The entire journey began and ended in Xining. We traveled 4,177 kilometers through seven prefecture-level regions: Xining, Hainan Prefecture, Huangnan Prefecture, Golog Prefecture, Garzê Prefecture, Yushu Prefecture, and Qamdo. The highest point of the journey was 4,852 meters above sea level.

I selected 12 photographs from the journey to look back on some of its most memorable moments.

Hillside of Purple Gentians

The fragrance of flowers and softness of grass
The strength of mountains and ease of clouds
The scene drove away the sadness
And soothed the soul

Duolunduo Salt Fields

Water quietly rises beneath the gentle touch of wind
Mountains softly whisper beneath the gentle touch of wind
I quietly sigh beneath the gentle touch of wind
The wind drifts into the distance
Carrying sorrow away

Yellow River at Sunset

Blue-green waves roll onward
Blue mountains and green grass beneath gathering clouds
The setting sun breaks through and spreads across the earth
The clear river flows east and never returns

Looking Back at Jiangjiaduode

When I arrived
Dark clouds gathered, rain falling without end
When I departed
The clouds broke open and golden light appeared
A glimpse today
Until we meet again

Concerto of Lightning and Thunder

Light tears through the darkness
Freezing the movement of the clouds
Wind carries lightning and thunder across the plateau
Into the deserted night
Playing a song of ice and fire

A Romantic Valley

Wind rushes through the valley
Stirring flowers and grass across the hills
The mountain has stood here since ancient times
Quietly watching clouds come and go
Lovers rest together in the valley
Feeling the warmth of sunlight and love

The Qinghai–Tibet Border

Ahead, the road is unclear
Behind, the heart hesitates
Wind sweeps through and the rain passes
A winding path opens ahead

Gading Monastery After the Rain

Golden roofs
After the cleansing rain
Shine brilliantly
Monks
After their prayers are finished
Wander at ease

Source of the Yellow River

A stream spills gently from the spring
Across thousands of miles
It grows
Until at last it reaches the sea
The dream
Of every drop of water

Sacred Mount Gado Jowo

Step by step along the walkway
I come before you
Whisper my hopes
And plant a dream

Sacred Mount Amne Machin

Clouds drift across the peaks
Snow covers the glaciers
Amne Machin
You watch over the Yellow River
And the people raised by its waters

Tibetan Plateau

Cirrus clouds wander across the sky
Through endless blue they freely roam
The ancient Tang–Tibet road is no longer what it was
A road to Jyekundo now runs freely through the plateau