Zhou Kang joked that devoted photographers are "out of their minds".

The 38-year-old photographer from Shanghai relaxed into a chair in his spacious studio on Pujian Lu in Pudong on a warm afternoon last week and related stories about how he, for example, had undergone hardship and risks beyond most people's imagination just to take good pictures.

"Twenty yuan (US$2.40) for an egg in Daocheng (a remote place in Sichuan Province)! This was the best I could have when stranded by unexpected snow for five days," said Zhou. "The skin on my face could have been easily peeled off after I returned (due to sunburn on the plateau)."

That is just one of the many experiences Zhou has had. Once he and a group of others went through an emotional roller-coaster from hope to desperation when they pushed their vehicle up seemingly endless slopes at night in deep snow in Southwest China; at another time he was on a ride on narrow mountainous driveways which turned his companion's face white when he looked out of the window. The results, now stored quietly in his studios, are gorgeous and awesome pictures.

"Someone says that if you travel with a photographer, you always get to see the most beautiful scenery," said Zhou, dismissing all his ordeals in a light-hearted way.

Wide spectrum

In his teens, Zhou's world changed when he looked through the lenses of borrowed cameras in 1979. He graduated with a major in automation in 1987 but was not seriously engaged in any job until he turned into a professional photographer in 1990. Over the years, Zhou has become a well-known photographer in China whose fame not only has been established via exhibitions and prizes in contests, but has also been recognized in photo albums that serve as presents among central and local governments and organizations. In 2003, his works were included in a picture album that was given as gifts by Chinese embassies worldwide.

His works span a wide spectrum from natural scenes to portraits, from pure artistic photography to advertising pictures.

"Photographers who can produce excellent work in all these areas are very rare, but Zhou Kang is one of those few," said Xia Bing, an accomplished photographer.

But Zhou wants more than just to record what he sees with his cameras.

"I have told my students that physically, a picture is just a thin layer of paper, but you can add culture to make it thicker," he said. "It is my goal to explore the deep meaning of Chinese culture with my cameras."

This was affirmed by Xia who said Zhou regarded photography only as a tool. "He pays a lot of attention to regional differences, human nature and humanity, and his pictures are abundant in cultural meaning," Xia said.

This passion has led Zhou to a new challenge this year - to present China's cultural contributions to the UNESCO cultural heritage list for worldwide recognition and protection.

"It is a challenging task to present these traditional cultural forms in pictures," said Zhou. "Performing arts like the Kunqu Opera are relatively easy. However, for things like the guqin (a seven-stringed zither), I have to think hard about what to put into the pictures."

Shanghai is focus

As a native of Shanghai, Zhou has naturally developed a special fondness for this city. While the city's landmarks - the Bund, the Lujiazui area opposite the Bund and the Nanpu Bridge, among others - have gripped the attention of almost all photographers, Zhou is confident that his works stand out among the others.

"I think my pictures excel in photographic technique and completeness, as well as unique angles," he said. "I do not take photographs just for the sake of recording Shanghai's magnificence. I have seen the pictures taken by foreigners in the 1920s and 1930s and I see through my lenses with a historical perspective."

One of Zhou's favourite works - "Witness the Times" - features the statue of Chen Yi, Shanghai's first mayor after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and the Peace Hotel on the Bund, a Gothic-style building once known as "the No. 1 mansion in the Far East" in the 1930s. Another one showing the 88-storey state-of-the-art Jinmao Tower and the modern-looking Oriental Pearl Tower in Lujiazui against the top of historical buildings on the Bund in early morning light and mist again condenses Shanghai's history into one image.

"Zhou Kang has been quick to grasp the modern and trendy side of Shanghai, which is the most important characteristic of this city," said Chen Changfen, a reputable Chinese photographer who was chosen by Time magazine in 1989 as one of the 10 most eminent photographers of the 150 years since the invention of photography. "He is very innovative."

On March 29, 30 of Zhou's pictures of Shanghai are scheduled to be displayed in San Francisco to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the sister city relationship between the two cities.

When he returns, there is no question that Zhou's luggage will be packed with new photographs.

"For me, photography is a way of life," said Zhou. "Photography stops time, but more importantly, it is a way of exploring."