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Shanghai Pride

Eric Seidner

China

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A rainbow of terraces descend a slope in Yuanyang, Yunnan. Unique personalities of color and pattern emerge from a mix of algae and soil composition. Yet, each layer is sewn into a cohesive tapestry of earthwork by a single mountain stream—flowing from holes in embankments, pool to pool.

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Honorable Mention

Tapestry

Yosemite Valley experienced a record-breaking snowfall. As snowpack melted, waterfalls cascaded down the iconic cliffs, with some roaring back to life after decades of dormancy and others flowing for the first time. Here, Yosemite Falls is captured in all its glory, pouring over the mountainside.

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Yosemite Falls

Mao Zedong’s statue stands prominently in Changsha’s Dongfanghong Square. The contrast between the white Mao and the dark man, a shadowy doppelgänger, reminded me of the renowned Deng Xiaoping quote: "It doesn't matter whether a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat.”

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Nominee

Black Cat, White Cat

The Tanka are a boat-dwelling ethnic group who have lived off the coast of Fujian for generations, sustaining themselves through fishing and aquaculture. Their floating villages are renowned for a distinctive way of life, with homes, schools, and shops all on a network of interconnected rafts.

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Bronze

Floating village

At 90, Zheng Chongyao is a master lacquer artist, preserving ancient, nearly extinct techniques. He creates his colors by blending natural pigments and dyes with lacquer resin. For white, he grinds eggshells, using them to depict oriental stork feathers, Hui village facades, or the Buddha’s cheek.

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Master Of Laquer

The Miao celebrate a New Year separate from the Chinese New Year. Activities are replete with singing, dancing, music playing and feasting. At an all female banquet, ladies play “High Mountain Flowing Water”, pouring rice wine along stacked wine bowls down to a guest until the song ends.

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High Mountain Flowing Water

Caught in a long exposure, the lights of a sightseeing boat streak across Shanghai’s iconic Lujiazui cityscape during the Golden Week holiday marking the founding of the People's Republic of China.