Road to freedom

However, the path to achieving financial and creative freedom hasn't been as smooth as it might appear, he said.

The journey started in July 2011 during a trip to Mount Fanjing in Guizhou province. Stepping out of a farmhouse at night, he was confronted with a breathtaking view of the starry sky — a rare sight for someone who grew up in the smogfilled city of Chongqing.

In that instant, something clicked. He started to learn how to take nightscape photos and share them with people.

From 2011 to 2015, astrophotography remained a hobby. He worked as an automotive engineer during the day. But the pull of the stars became too strong. In 2015, he made the bold decision to quit his stable engineering job and become a fulltime photographer. He endured a challenging period. "My income was cut in half in the first year," he said.

His passion for the stars kept him going.

A turning point came in 2016 during a monthlong trip to Thailand. He stayed in cheap hostels, visited many monuments of the Southeast Asian country and captured these landmarks under starry skies. "The entire trip only cost me 3,000-4,000 yuan," he said. "That experience showed me that I could pursue my passion even on a very tight budget."

Soon after, the media started noticing his work, and more opportunities arose. "I realized I could cover travel expenses by creating content and writing articles," he said. "Gradually, I released the pressure of survival and started fully embracing my work."