"When I saw Wang Mingjie, an ethnic Qiang, wearing a leather hat and playing his lambskin drum in a manner that is usually seen during their religious ceremony, I asked him to hold the pose for a second and I took a photo of him," recalled photographer Gao Tunzi, who is showcasing 16 photos from his latest photography series about the Qiang people at Life Hub @ Anting in Jiading district until June 1.

"Though to some extent it is a posed picture, I still like it very much because Wang, at that very moment, represents my impression of Qiang people, who are persistent and tough even when they undergo great hardships in life," Gao told the Global Times.

Born in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province, Gao, an ethnic Han, has focused his lens on minority groups living in and around his hometown since the mid-1990s.

Against a deep valley of the Min River, Wang Mingjie, an ethnic Qiang, plays a drum. Photo: Courtesy of Gao Tunzi

In 1995, Gao's first exhibition was held in Sichuan Art Museum, which showcased his works about the pilgrimages of Tibetan Buddhists at the east end of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the astounding scenic beauty there. From then until 2004, Gao published dozens of photography collections highlighting the customs and natural beauty of West China.

"However, those scenic albums, although they brought me great commercial success, didn't fulfill my artistic desires," said Gao. In 2004, he abandoned his graphic design business and went to study filmmaking at Beijing Film Academy, in the hope of getting back to what he really wanted to do rather than being driven by commercial needs.

It was while studying that he began his latest series Qiang People: Live by the Mountains, Live in the Valleys. The series integrates 200 photos, roughly 100,000 Chinese characters of narration and a 30-minute documentary.

"I'm very familiar with the Qiang people. I know how to farm as they do, and I'm even better than some of them when dealing with livestock such as horses and cows, so there are few obstacles in communication," said the photographer.

His latest works mainly focuses on the life of Qiang people in Wenchuan county following the earthquake on May 12, 2008.

On May 8, 2009, some 700 Qiang people in Wenchuan had to leave their former villages and settled more than 150 kilometers away from their hometown. The migration after the earthquake is known as the fifth large-scale migration of the Qiang people, who usually live in the mountainous areas in Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi and Yunnan provinces. Gao recorded the migration with his camera.

"They had lived in Wenchuan for many generations, so it was hugely painful for them to migrate. Many of them cried on the way to their new home," recalled Gao.

In their new home, more Qiang people were able to watch TV and use mobile phones, according to Gao. Meanwhile, religious leaders in Qiang communities are trying to preserve Qiang traditional culture amid the prevailing atmosphere of commercialism and modernism in their new lives.

"The Qiang villagers are happy to see me capture their migration and their lives and showcase my works to a wider audience, who can get more knowledge of the Qiang and their culture," Gao said.

After the earthquake in 2008, Gao has also cooperated with One Foundation, initiated by Chinese kung fu star Jet Li, to help the Qiang people preserve and promote their traditional embroidery, examples of which will also be on display.