The backpacking photographer

In 2006， American photographer Tom Carter set out on a shoestring backpacking trip that would test the limits of his wallet， body and sanity. Over the span of two years， he criss-crossed the length and breadth of the Chinese mainland， covering 35，000 miles in his mission to hit every province and photograph each of the 55 minority groups that reside within China’s borders. The result was “CHINA: Portrait of a People，” a book that， in 900 photographs captures a side of China that most people—foreigners and Chinese alike—never have the chance to see.

When he set off on what turned out to be a two-year trip to China’s least explored corners， photographer Tom Carter’s only plan was to keep traveling until his money ran out. But what started as a personal backpacking trip eventually morphed into a project that has been hailed as the most comprehensive collection of photography on China ever published by a single author. The book guides readers on a visual journey through each of the Chinese mainland’s 33 provinces and regions， but the stories behind his trip are just as interesting as the pictures it yielded.

Like so many expats of his generation， Carter started out as an English teacher， working in a rural Shandong Province village. From there he moved to Beijing to continue teaching and dabble in photography， first as a hobby and then more seriously as a freelancer for the local expat magazines， making the cover of that’s Beijing with his very first assignment.

Carter had always had his eye on traveling the whole country， but certainly didn’t set out on his journey aiming to create the massive photo project he eventually produced. “I wasn’t that ambitious，” he says. “I was doing photography because I enjoyed it and made a little money on the side.”

In the spring of 2006， Carter set out for southwest China. Traveling through Guangxi， Guizhou and Yunnan， he made his way to Tibet.“When I crossed into Tibet it was completely open and free，” he recalls. Some of his adventures are documented in this issue’s Kaleidoscope section， but other highlights included visiting the central Himalayan Mountains of the southern Tsang region and ascending the base of Qomolangma (as Mount Everest is transliterated from the Tibetan)， However he is careful also to recall decidedly less glamorous multi-day bus journeys across remote parts of the Tibetan plateau.

While Carter certainly witnessed and experienced aspects of the country that few others have， he did not initially feel he was doing anything unique. With no concrete plan and working on a tight budget scraped together from his savings as a teacher， Carter freestyled his route as he went along. “I was just taking it day by day， moment by moment. There’s this backpacking trail that the average backpacker follows. I was always straying from that route…branching off to these places where no one ever goes.”

With only a rudimentary knowledge of Mandarin， the budding photographer primarily relied on visual communication to reach out to the locals he encountered， but as many Chinese outside the northeast don’t speak much Mandarin anyway he was able to use gestures and pantomime to get by.

Carter says the most memorable aspect of his trip was the unreserved welcome he received everywhere he traveled. “That’s really what endeared me to China. Everywhere I went I was met with an enthusiastic， warm response.” That hearty welcome often led to Carter staying in some places for a week or more， allowing time to immerse himself in the culture. “Like this Dong ethnic minority village in eastern Guizhou Province. I felt completely removed from modern civilization， taken back to a time and a culture that’s completely closed off from the rest of the world，” he says， adding that some of the villages were so remote that they were only accessible on foot.

Yet of all the places Carter visited， Xinjiang and the Uygurs he met there left the deepest impression.“When I first arrived， it blew my mind. I could have been on the other side of Asia for all I knew.”

Throughout the entirety of Carter’s expedition， despite numerous clashes with the elements， the only time he really felt threatened were the rare occasions when he was confronted by local authorities. In one instance， he witnessed a group of local farmers confronting a police officer. Within seconds， the stand-off erupted into a riot. Caught in the middle， Carter captured the event on film， before stealing off to have lunch away from the trouble. Hours after everything had settled down， Carter and his then-girlfriend， now wife， were tracked down by authorities insistent that he hand over the shots he had taken. After initially refusing to comply， Carter handed over a blank memory card， claiming he had deleted the photos. Unbeknownst to the powers that be， he’d long since switched out the card containing the offending photos， which he then published for all to see in his book. offending photos， which were then published for all to see.

1921janet ellIott WulSIn

Elliott and her husband Frederick wulsin travel extensively through China， including Tibet and Outer Mongolia. while collecting flora and fauna， the couple also capture some of the first images of indigenous tribes.

1924 alexandra daVId-néel

One of the first westerners to travel to Tibet while it was forbidden to foreigners， David-Neel spends two months in Lhasa disguised as a pilgrim. She wrote books on her travels that inspired beat writers， including Jack Kerouac.

1930 pan demIng (潘德明)

At the tender age of 22， epic sojourner Pan Deming sets out on foot and bicycle， beginning a journey that will last seven years， take him across five continents， and introduce him to Ghandi， Hitler and FDR.