Monks and Monasteries

Hidden in mountain mists or standing proud as national treasures, Buddhist monasteries across China have drawn me in over the years. Some are tucked away in remote peaks where you can really feel their isolation from the everyday world – places free from the formal rituals and regulations you typically find in large monasteries. Others are famous national monasteries housing hundreds of monks and preserving countless historical treasures, drawing crowds of visitors year-round. Along the way, I’ve made friends with quite a few monks and nuns – from head abbots running huge monasteries to fellow students sitting next to me in university classes.

I’ve spent years studying these monasteries – from their ancient walls and halls that shape spaces where the sacred meets everyday life, to the people who truly bring them alive: the monks and nuns who call them home, and the regular folks who fill them with their prayers and hopes. Now I’m hoping to capture stories of monks and monasteries through my camera lens, keeping my research going in a different way and maybe discovering new angles I hadn’t thought of before.