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As 2025 draws to a close, conversations among the WildChina team have turned to places visited, people met, memories made, and the vivid moments that shaped the past twelve months for us and our travelers.
To mark the end of the year, we asked our team to select five of their favorite photos taken in 2025. These are the images they chose and the stories behind each one.
Dong New Year in Huanggang Dong Village, Guizhou
On the fifteenth day of the sixth lunar month in Huanggang Dong Village in Guizhou, a day celebrated locally as Dong New Year, the main street filled with color and sound. A group of Dong girls in traditional festival dress walked together along the village road. Their silver headdresses, embroidered jackets, pleated skirts, and bright sashes stood out against the dark wooden houses, and several carried Dong pipas, the string instruments used in welcoming ceremonies.
The image captures the pause before the formal welcome began. Friends and relatives were arriving to share beef, drink rice wine, and join in the harvest-season celebrations. The girls in the frame were on their way to the main gate, where they would soon gather in rows to greet guests with music and song.
Sunrise at Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, Shangri-La, Yunnan
At dawn on November 17, golden light spread across Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan and one of the most well-known landmarks in Shangri-La. The first sunlight poured over the rooftops, filtering through thin smoke rising from nearby village houses.
Reaching this view took patience. Charles, our colleague and photographer, stood on a small dirt slope beside the national road for about half an hour before sunrise, in temperatures close to –5°C. The cold air, quiet landscape, and slowly brightening sky made the first beam of light feel especially striking when it finally arrived.
Biluo Snow Mountain on the Gudao Trail, Yunnan
This photo was taken at the top of Biluo Snow Mountain on the third day of the WildChina team hiking the Gudao missionary trail as part of our English guide training. It was the longest and most demanding section of the journey, and the group stood together on the pass to mark the moment.
The route began in Dimaluo, a Tibetan Christian village, and crossed two mountains before reaching Cizhong near Shangri-La. Along the way, guides and hiking assistants cooked meals, helped set up camp, and walked beside the group through the steepest sections.
The image captures the team’s effort and connection: tired legs, shared jokes, and snow still visible on the ridge. It also echoes an earlier photograph taken two decades ago, when WildChina’s founder, Mei Zhang, stood at this same spot with a group of hikers on the same trail.
Giant Pandas at Dujiangyan Panda Base, Sichuan
At Dujiangyan Panda Base in Sichuan, two young giant pandas played together on a wooden platform, tumbling over one another in an unhurried wrestle. Their black-and-white coats stood out against the green backdrop, and the moment felt calm and playful at once.
Behind the scenes is the daily work of keepers, feeding, monitoring, and caring for the pandas as part of the wider conservation program. During the visit, WildChina travelers joined as day volunteers, assisting with tasks that form part of this ongoing work, such as breaking bamboo for the pandas and preparing panda cakes.
Fish-Lantern Parade in Zhanqi Village, Huangshan, Anhui
On New Year’s Eve in Zhanqi Village near Huangshan, crowds gathered to watch the annual fish-lantern show, a well-known festival art form in southern China, especially in the historic Huizhou region.
The image was taken from a rooftop overlooking the main road running through the village. The glow of traditional lanterns lit the street, creating a warm, festive atmosphere. People waited outside the ancestral hall, where the fish-lantern parade was about to begin.
When the first large fish lantern appeared, the crowd immediately shifted toward it. The photo captured that moment, the change from waiting to movement and celebration, as the lantern entered the street and New Year’s festivities began.
From all of us at WildChina, we wish you a Happy New Year!
