Radio reporters use all kinds of sounds and people's voices to tell stories, while photographers use their lenses to portray our lives, both happy scenes and the cruel realities. Today we'll introduce you to a Chinese photographer, Lu Guang. He was the first in the Chinese mainland to win the W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography.

For those who may not be familiar with the award, the Eugene Smith Grant is one of the most prestigious awards in photography, with the themes of humanism and reflecting real life.

Let's learn more about Lu Guang. Here is He Fei.

One of the pictures of the "Pollution in China" Series shot by Lu Guang [photo: news163.com]

A power plant in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, two huge chimneys erect into the sky and thick dark smoke bellows from the chimneys covering a huge area of the village.

A sad scene in the Yangtze River [photo: zxiw.com]

In the Yangtze River, a huge pipe bursts forth polluted water. The smelly yellow colored water with grey bubbles flows directly into the river.

Forty such pictures with the theme of "Pollution in China" caught the world's attention. The photographer of the collection, Lu Guang, was given the Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography for his focus on pollution issues. He is the first to receive the honor on the Chinese mainland.

He often returns to the places where he shoots pictures to see the changes. And his work has brought impacts to these severely polluted areas. Here is Lu Guang:

"This time when I came back to these areas after I got the award, I could tell the local governments were very active in changing the situation. Many farmers there also called and asked me why people of the local environmental protection bureau went there again and again. You can see the supervision there has been improved."

Since 2005, Lu Guang has been working on the 'Pollution in China' series. From the west to the east coast, from the reaches of the Yellow River to the banks along the Yangtze River, he went through almost all corners of China. Lu Guang has recorded the current situation of the pollution problems in the country in truth. He explains the inspiration that triggered him to the project.

"I was shocked when once I saw the scene that thick yellow smoke coming out of chimneys and spreading into the blue sky. I seldom saw the polluted scenes like that before. And the smoke smelled stingy. The scene was like in a movie when a gas bomb blew up. The scene was hard to imagine, but how could it happen in our life? Therefore, I was really impressed and decided to record the scene with my camera."

From then on, Lu Guang never stopped working. He travels around the country to find out the origins of the pollution and records them. His camera and lens are like his eyes and pen.

"I never think of winning an award when I take pictures. Recording is my priority. And of course, I want to solve problems. When I took these pictures, I told the local residents the reason why I took photos of them was that I wanted to help them solve the problems."

Lu Guang [photo: news.fengniao.com]

However, Lu Guang says he is not the one who can save the residents from misery. What he can do is taking pictures and publishing them in the media and call for the attention of society.

"If I don't take these pictures, no one will know the situation there. Then who will come and solve the problem? Nobody. So the local people actually welcome me to record their life with the camera."

To take good pictures and record the real lives of the people in polluted areas, Lu Guang will go to the same spot several times in a year. He gradually makes friends with the locals and it was actually the local farmers who took him to many origins of the recorded scenes.

After spending five years on the subject and talking with hundreds of local farmers in the polluted areas, Lu Guang understands the emotional dilemma that the farmers face.

"Many farmers told me that they are not against the economic development. In fact, they like to have these factories since they will have the chance to work in the factory to earn more money. And as people coming in, they can rent their houses to migrant workers too. However, on the other hand, they really want the factories to control their pollution and stop ruining their living environment. That's what they really need now."

Although Lu Guang's photos have drawn great attention from society, it is still hard to change the current situation. Lu expresses his worries.

"I know that whenever I publish pictures, the related governments or organizations will go to investigate the issue and stop the pollution. However, after a while, the pollution comes back again. That is a big area of concern for me. If we could prove criminal liability to those who are responsible for severe pollutant emissions, then I think no companies would dare to pollute these areas."

Five years of investigating polluted areas in China has made Lu Guang an expert in environment. 'Recording real life' is his belief and life-long task. Lu Guang is now working on a project to portray how effluent discharges have an impact on fishermen's lives.

When asked about his wish, Lu Guang says:

"I wish all the pictures I record could help to find a final solution to all these polluted areas. That would be the happiest thing for me."

For China Now, I'm He Fei.