Aerial photos preserve shantytown

Photo provided to China Daily

Li then got the idea to photograph the planes fighting, and put cameras on the model planes and flew them high, to take pictures of the "airplane battles" in mid-flight.

"But the model planes were so fast that the camera could not follow them," says Li. "So I began to use a helicopter, then DSLR, then big planes. From photo to video, my technology developed step-by-step, until the images were not only clear, but also steady."

"I do everything very efficiently," Li says proudly. "And my parents both support me. That's why I have spent most of my time playing. In my opinion, a person with freedom to choose what he wants to do is a truly happy one."

Aerial photography is gradually becoming a part of Li's career. He now has a team to help him with aerial photography.

This year, Li and his team will focus on various photography projects, including "Beautiful Tianjin" and "The 1,100 ancient towns of China", holding large image exhibitions. The latter one will take three years.

"I will talk to the local people, because I want to record not only the images of the towns, but also their local customs and feelings, as well as their memories," Li says.