China From Above

China is a vast country with a seemingly endless variety of landscapes. From the modern skylines of Shanghai and Hong Kong to the ancient city walls of Xi'an, the former capital of the 'Middle Kingdom'. Imposing rice terraces contrast with stark desert scenery, massive coal factories rub shoulders with newly built cities.

I have been privileged to visit China a number of times in the last decade or so, usually with a photo- and or video camera in hand, trying to capture glimpses of this ever evolving nation. Earlier this year, I took the opportunity to travel across the country for another 3 months, focusing primarily on aerial photography and filming.

This little adventure took me from the Northern 'rust belt provinces' to the beautiful mountain landscapes of national parks like Zhangjiajie (often named as an inspiration for the popular Avatar movie) and Jiuzhaigou. I also visited some cities to gain an aerial perspective of China's urban development, and came across several major infrastructure projects. The rural backwaters in Guangxi province were a personal favorite to explore, with the surreal Dragon's Backbone rice terraces and karst scenery around Guilin.

I edited some of this material into one single clip, trying to show some of the diversity I came across. The drone I traveled around with was the DJI Phantom 4.

You will find footage from the following places in this clip (in no particular order): Zhangjiajie national park, the Yangtze River (Three Gorges), Dunhuang (sand dunes and solar panels), Guazhou (wind turbines), Hebei province (Great Wall of China), Dazhai (Dragon's Backbone rice terraces), Fujian province (Hakka 'tulou' round houses), Pingyao, Changsha (Mao Zedong memorial), Liaoning province (several industrial sites and 'ghost cities'), Guangzhou (Evergrande football stadium), Hong Kong, Shanghai, Jishou (Aizhai bridge), Hainan island, Chongqing, Guilin, Jiuzhaigou national park, Zhengzhou, Linxia (golden domed mosque), Zhangye national park, Macau, Hukou waterfalls, and Shenzhen.

Comments and suggestions are always appreciated, thanks for watching!

Copyright of all footage: Hoffer Media