Easter Land. Photo: Courtesy of Naiontal Geographic

 In 2018, National Geographic celebrated its 130th anniversary. Now, an exhibition of classic photos from these 130 years is coming to Beijing in March. 

The National Geographic: Classic Photographs Exhibition at the China Millennium Monument museum will feature selected masterpieces of several well-known photographers including Paul Nicklen and Frans Lanting that show off their personal style to visitors.

These photos not only explore and record the world's myriad natural geography, but also capture precious and moving moments of wildlife and human society.

One of selected photographers for the exhibition is Carsten Peter, a World Press Photo award winner and regular contributor to National Geographic. Peter specializes in going to extremes: scuba diving under a glacier on Mont Blanc, crossing the Sahara on a camel, spelunking in Borneo. He has searched for wild places where his survival has depended on his wits and his skills as a climber, paraglider, spelunker and diver.

Photo shot by Carsten Peter. Photo: Courtesy of National Geographic

 In one of his photos at the exhibition, a member of a discovery team walks on cooling lava from a nearby volcano. The entire picture is shaded by a terrible red color and only one small shadow is embraced by the lava.

Another photo is from Frans Lanting. Taken before dawn in Madagascar, it shows an elephant standing beside a river, in which its reflection can clearly be seen. Along the distant horizon, the sun can be seen just making its way into the sky. 

Photo of Frans Lanting. Photo: Courtesy of National Geographic

 Lanting has been hailed as one of the greatest nature photographers. His influential works have appeared in books, magazines, and exhibitions around the world and has been commissioned frequently by the National Geographic Society, where he has served as a photographer-in-residence.

For more than two decades he has documented wildlife and humanity's relationship with nature in environments from the Amazon to Antarctica.  

Visitors can follow these photos on display to explore every fantastic corner around the world.

The exhibition will be held from March 21 to June 21.