Behind the Scenes of China

The photography for China: People, Place, Culture, History took many months of planning, overcoming language barriers and obtaining strict photography permissions. The DK editorial team worked with DK’s Beijing office to find a suitable researcher and "fixer" – someone who could locate interviewees out of China’s 1.3 billion residents. The team eventually found Zhou XingPing, who was born in Fujian province, in the south of China, and now lives in Beijing. Having researched for and worked with a BBC film documentary crew for two years, Zhou had a broad knowledge of the country and experience finding fascinating interviews. With Zhou, the team set out to showcase a wide spectrum of people and buildings from around the country, with the goal of giving a cross-section of China's population – old and young, urban and rural, male and female.

The photography took place over three months. Christopher Pillitz, a world-renowned reportage photographer, and Chester Ong, an architecture photographer, traveled with Zhou as far as Kashgar in the west, Beijing in the north and Yunnan in the south. They took over 30 flights, 20 train journeys and countless local buses and boats to reach each far-flung place. Because local police in China are often suspicious of photographers and reporters, Zhou and Christopher spent much time talking to officials about the project and obtaining permissions to achieve the amazing photography they did. It wasn't always easy – they both came back several pounds lighter – but the results are spectacular. The photographs in the book reveal a beautiful and often surprising picture of China.