Leafing through

Sixty of Zhou's photos have been used as covers in academic journals and over 40 photos have been published by the Chinese National Geography magazine.

Zhou usually has two cameras in his backpack. In the past four decades, seven of Zhou's cameras broke from wear and tear. He says he usually didn't carry much food in his backpack during the field trips, because he wanted his luggage to be light so that he could move more conveniently, and also, he could eat wild fruits on the way.

"I can tell whether a wild fruit is poisonous or not. Also, eating wild plants can help me have a better understanding of the plants," Zhou says.

Losing his way in Changbai Mountain was not a rare experience for Zhou. He says as there are copper and iron mines in the area, sometimes his compass didn't work properly.

"When I get lost, I try to determine the direction of water flow, then I follow it downstream which usually takes me to a road," he says.

Danger was part of Zhou's field trips. He went through seven car accidents, as well as encounters with wild animals. Zhou recalls that on one rainy day, when he woke up in his tent, he found that a viper was coiling on his legs, and he was terrified but stayed still and waited for the snake to leave before he could take a big breath.