In love with the camera

For Wang Xinmei, a multimillionaire, photography is more than a passion

She is a multimillionaire. Yet outside her business empire, she has earned fame as the "crazy lady" of China's photographer community.

Crazy because as a mature photographer, the 55-year-old Wang Xinmei has journeyed to the North Pole 14 times to photograph wild animals, and to the South Pole six times to photograph king and emperor penguins.

Crazy also, because she set up China's first photography library Yingshang Shufang.

In the beginning, most photographers did not take her seriously, saying her plans were just the wayward behavior of a rich woman, with money to burn and time to kill.

But only Wang knew she was on a rocky and yet hopeful road toward self-redemption.

In March 2017, after almost 10 years of endeavor, Wang became the first female photographer to hold a solo photo exhibition at the National Art Museum of China.

Called the Transcendence of Heart, Wang's shots of nature left those who had once scoffed at her deeply touched. They were particularly moved by her images of the emperor penguins.