Wang Dequan: a long-time photographer of Mount Tai

Wang Dequan, who has been trekking up and down Mount Tai for more than 20 years, has been committed for this time to recording the nature and humanity of Mount Tai with cameras to help spread the mountain's spirit and culture.

Born and raised in Tai'an, Shandong province, Wang has had close ties with Mount Tai since his childhood. He first climbed up Mount Tai in his fifth grade, with two black bricks. Nowadays, carrying his heavy photographic equipment, he climbs up and down just to photograph his beloved Mount Tai.

After 20 years' of photographing, Wang has published more than 10 Mount Tai-themed collections of his works, including picture albums, stamp albums, and postcards. His serial photographic works China's Mount Tai won the golden awards of the China International Photographic Art Festival and the China (Qinghai) Sanjiangyuan International Photography Festival.

His picture album Mount Tai: One of the Five Great Mountains in China was given as a national gift to guests attending the 2018 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit held in Qingdao. His photographic work was printed on the back of five yuan renminbi notes. Wang is also known in the public eye as the "No 1 photographer of Mount Tai". 

However, it is difficult to take excellent photos of Mount Tai, according to Wang. He says that Mount Tai is not only a mountain of scenery, but also a mountain of culture and spirits, yet it is really hard to capture images which encapsulate the history and spirits of the mountain.  

Numerous photographers have given up due to the difficulties, but not Wang. He has persisted for over 20 years, no matter if it was pouring or snowing. He has climbed to the mountaintop before dawn dozens of times to shoot the fabulous sunrise. He has also been hit and injured by the falling stones from the mountain whilst he was trying to take photos of the ravine stream at the mountain foot.

For Wang, the suffering and failure, as well as the endless joy and success brought by the shooting, are part and parcel of photographing the beauty of Mount Tai.

"There is still a long way to go for my photography of Mount Tai... I hope that one day Mount Tai will become a real photograph paradise for the world," said Wang.

Mount Tai-themed collections of photographic works by Wang Dequan. [Photo/iqilu.com]