An Youzhong was too excited to fall asleep on the 24 hour of flight from Beijing to Kampala, capital of Uganda. There, he came across many unexpected things, which touched him a lot. He clearly remembers the first day he arrived there.

An Youzhong a Chinese man who enjoys photography and is curious about everything new. [Photo: photobase.com.cn]

"The first thing that greeted me at the airport were swarms of mosquitoes. That was my first photo in Africa. I then left the airport and saw a beautiful sunrise glaring out at the sky. At that moment I found myself in a state of serenity and harmony - between man and nature."

An Youzhong's pictures depict a large range of flora and fauna. Varieties of wild animals and man co-exist in harmony in his pictures. A flock of birds are perched in the dense woods around cottages. Diligent African women work hard in the fields all day. Although it is heavy work, there is big smile on their faces. All of these scenes are photographed by An Yongzhong, forming a picture of authentic Uganda.

In view of security concerns, An Youzhong was not allowed to go out alone. He was warned that if anyone asked for money, he had to give it to them right away. Otherwise, he was likely to be shot dead by the robbers since carrying guns is legal in Uganda.

An Youzhong really experienced a robbery once when his precious Nikon camera was robbed by a local. Thanks to the help of an accompanying Chinese diplomat, the robber gave the camera back to him without asking for any ransom money.

In addition to robbery, An Youzhong came across many other troubles. Some Africans firmly believed their souls to be diluted in the process of being photographed. So his requests to take pictures of locals were often rejected. Another time, he narrowly escaped the attack of wild rhinoceros when he was just about to picture them. Each picture witnesses An Youzhong's bravery and perseverance. In spite of troubles, he still persisted, out of his passion for photography. As he stayed longer, he gradually thought out some ways to tackle these problems.

"Nearly all Africans know about Chinese Kungfu, along with its most famous practitioners: Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. If anyone was going to rob me of money, I simply demonstrated Chinese Kungfu to them. Then they dared not come any close nor offend me. If some people smiled at me, I knew they were friendly. But if received cold expressions, I would stay back for fear of being attacked."