Leave it to the winner of the 2008 U GO! Shot of Urban photography award to artfully capture the contradictions and cultures of China’s largest cities. EsslingerBrian just shared more than 530 photos from Beijing, Shanghai, and Xian, and while you should see the slideshow, we wanted to show off some of our favorite shots.
The Forbidden City, Beijing
"The Egg," Beijing’s new opera house
Haibo, the Expo 2010 mascot, in Shanghai’s Old Town
Ship on Shanghai’s Huangpu River
Nanjing Road, Shanghai
Pudong, Shanghai
A terra-cotta warrior in Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum, Xian
The terra-cotta army in Xian
Rows of terra-cotta warriors, Xian
The terra-cotta army, Xian
Yao Yao ice cream, near Xian International University (Make ours a triple!)
Worshipers light candles outside the Dayan Ta (Wild Goose Pagoda) in Xian
Statue near the Xiaoyan Ta (Little Goose Pagoda), Xian
Xiaoyan Ta (Little Goose Pagoda), Xian
Rooftop figures at the Great Mosque of Xian
Don’t miss EsslingerBrian’s other photos; he overcame rain and fog to capture some of China’s greatest monuments. A bonus: his photo gallery includes outtakes like ready-to-eat pig snouts (“yum,” as he says) and too many great lost-in-translation moments to name.
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