Photos capture the path of Buddhism

The bond between all living creatures. The carefree little white cat in the Buddhist Academy is very close with the students. Buddhismteaches that all creatures are created equal, so that they cherish and refuse to hurt any living things. The little white cat looks like a distinguished prince in the Buddhist temple. [Photo by Zhang Wang]

Zhang Wang, a member of the China Photographers' Association, began photographing Chinese Buddhist culture as early as 1999.

In secluded Buddhist temples, Zhang Wang spent long periods of time with the monks, sharing their way of life. He often got up in the wee hours of the morning to shoot the monastic life, or climbed precarious mountains to capture Buddhist relics.

He would also stay up late to peruse Buddhist texts. The fifteen years of persistent photography has put him through untold hardships and difficulties but also earned him close to a hundred important honors from China and the rest of the world. Zhang's photography of Buddhist culture is famous both at home and abroad.