“The Longjiang Bridge is a steel-truss bridge spanning the beautiful Longjiang River,” says Wang Wei, a Beijing-based train photographer. “Here you can see obvious karst topography. To take this photo, I climbed on a hillside with many plants with thorns and fell into a two-meter-deep hole. I was OK, just scared afterward — what if it was a much deeper hole?”
Courtesy Wang Wei
“In July, Inner Mongolia’s Aer Mountain has canola flower blossoms,” says Wang. “I got up at 4 a.m. and the place was in thick mist. It’s not easy to catch a train photo in the mist, but it looked just like a wonderland. Fortunately, the train was moving real slow so I had plenty of time to catch a good moment.”Steam locomotives have been phased out in China since the 1970s. The last one in service was the Qianjin train, which today runs during the annual Jitong Locomotive Train Photography Festival.“This locomotive belongs to the Jitong Railway Company,” says Wang. “The company bought more than 120 locomotives from all over China in the 1990s to haul freight. This made it one of the last railways in the world to operate steam locomotives.”“It’s great to get the extension, galaxy, and train all in one photo,” says the photographer. “Usually, when you want to shoot the galaxy, there should be no moon, or the light will outshine the stars.”Wang captured the charm of the Tianshan Mountain Section of the South Xinjiang Railway before it was shut down in early 2015, showcasing a variety of beautiful landscapes.“The Qinglongqiao Railway Station, part of China’s first Jingzhang (Beijing-Zhagjiakou) Railway, was built in 1908,” says Wang. “I have deep feelings for this place, as I grew up near the railway and started shooting my first photos here.”“When this train is traveling through the Gobi Desert, the scenes become boring. But the Danxia landforms ignited my passion for beauty,” says Wang. “This photo was taken when my dad and I drove after the trains from Akzo to Kashi.”“Heilongjiang Province is the coldest place in China. It was minus 42.5C when I shot this picture,” Wang recounts, noting how the environment inspired him.“I started chasing steam locomotives in 2006. Today, these locomotives are retired, but the mine still stores around 30 of them,” shares Wang, reflecting on his journey in railway photography.
