Japanese photographer captures China’s beauty

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JAPANESE photographer Yusuke Hiyane, whose photos featuring Shenzhen gained him worldwide fame, has been exploring and sharing more breathtaking sceneries and the charm of cities in China.

Hiyane came to the city in 2020 as a buyer for a Japanese company’s Shenzhen office. A photography enthusiast, he has fallen in love with China’s miracle city as well as the whole country. “I hope to explore more cities in the country. China’s enormous size and geographical diversity stretching from north to south and east to west, have deeply captivated me,” he told Shenzhen Evening News.

Yusuke Hiyane poses for a photo at Zhangye Danxia Geopark in Gansu Province. Photos courtesy of the interviewee

“I am in China. What am I waiting for?” Hiyane told himself and he soon turned his ideas into action. He was supposed to complete a countrywide photo journey in two to three years, but he could hardly wait and quit his job this August and set out his exploration.

“What impressed me most is Zhangye Danxia Geopark (in Gansu Province), which is known for its rocks’ unusual colors. I learned about this place from a TV show and was looking forward to visiting it. My dream finally came true and when I was standing on the beautiful mountains, I was surprised to see the landscapes were more beautiful than pictures, which filled my heart with amazement and astonishment about Nature’s ingenious creativity,” he recalled.

During his photo tours, Hiyane photographed many nightscapes and even waited in freezing winds and drizzles for five to six hours to capture the perfect moment. “I have discovered that many cities in China have very appealing night views. Especially after you see what it looks like in the daytime, you will be able to see its completely different appearance at night. The skylines are ever-changing all the time,” he said.

Yusuke Hiyane's prize-winning photography work "Bridge to City."

Most of Hiyane’s Shenzhen nightscapes were shot from a mountaintop or a tall building rooftop. “I am fond of the city’s atmosphere full of changes and unknowns. Its modern appearance is totally different from most Japanese people’s impressions which are limited to ancient China. I am particularly moved with Shenzhen’s neon light scene,” he said.

Hiyane’s work titled “Bridge to City” showcasing the modernity of Jialing River Bridge in Chongqing won him a prize at the Tokyo International Foto Awards 2020. “For me, photography means a bridge connecting my fate with China. Taking pictures has deepened my love for the country, and my experiences in China have reinforced my passion for photography. I hope I can travel to all provinces and major cities in the country.”

Making friends and sharing what he saw during his trips in social media also brought him a legion of fans. “Nearly 60 percent of my social media fans are from Japan, who expressed their interest in modern China,” he said.

After his one-month-plus trip, Hiyane returned to his hometown in Osaka and was occupied organizing photos he shot in Shenzhen. “I took a considerable number of photos in Shenzhen. Now, I finally have the time to carefully compile them, and I have applied for a new visa to China so that I can work and shoot pictures in China again.”

Editor/Chen Siqi

WeChat Editors/Claudia, Jane

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