Photos are a window to the soul. It is a creative way of expressing yourself that anyone, regardless of health or artistic ability, can achieve.
We've picked some images from female photographer Wang Yingying to decode her spiritual map of life.
Part of a photo of a woman who suffered a deadly brain tumor. [Photo by Wang Yingying/For chinadaily.com.cn]
If people compressed a lifetime into a single day, turning 40 would be noon.
Wang thought herself childish when preparing to celebrate her 40th birthday. She said she worried about turning 40. "I was desperate to know what really makes women like me nuts about this particular age."
At the end of 2015, she solicited women around her age in China to share their stories of family life, career and future expectations.
A woman from Lishui, East China's Zhejiang province, caught Wang's attention. "She appears to be elegant, but it was difficult for her to express herself fully because of traumatic brain injuries," she explained.
Wang said the woman fought against the deadly brain tumor in past decades. Each time she struggled down the stretch but ultimately rebounded before her 40th year.
A picture from Wang Yingying's work, entitled A Four-line Stanza. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Wang said photos has an ability to convey emotion. "Though I've drifted apart from my best friend we used to be, I always reminded of her when traveling."
A picture from Wang Yingying's work, entitled A Four-line Stanza. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
In Wang's view, it is not easy to express the difficulties of life in words, but easier in poems or natural scenery. She tries to use pictures to explain ideas about life shared in poetry.
A pancake from Wang Yingying's work, Hui, which depicts her family members and her birthplace. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Wang said she was puzzled about the divorce of her parents several decades previously. This threw a gloom over Wang's childhood and middle age. This time, she decided to focus on family members and her birthplace.
A wooden chair from Wang Yingying's work, Hui. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
"If I got a better understanding of my family members, I think I could genuinely grow up and be mature," Wang explained.
Wang Yingying talks about her experiences as a photographer at the Science, Education, Life and Future Forum in Beijing. SELF is a TED-like forum jointly set up by the Chinese Academy of Sciences Computer Network Information Center and Science Communication Bureau, promoting cross-discipline communication. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]