Photography e-Book Review: Brian
Rope
Footsteps and Frames – A Travel
Diary Of China | Pele Leung
Publisher: Pele Leung
Photography
Chinese Edition first published
2016
English Edition translated by
DeepSeek AI in 2025
After working in the information technology industry for over twenty years, Melbourne-based Pele Leung decided to change his career and became a photographer. Since then he has travelled extensively in China chasing landscape images and also seeking interesting travel stories. In addition to photography, Leung is also interested in writing, considering it is one of the best ways to complement his photography. His website is peleleung.com. He is on Facebook at peleleungphotography and has videos on YouTube channel @peleleung2688.
Leung had been thinking of rewriting his Chinese e-books in English for a long while. When the new DeepSeek AI software was announced recently, he downloaded a copy immediately. In less than an hour of testing, he decided to use it for this book and within 25 minutes he had his English language version. Whilst it is only available as a PDF, that is not a bad thing. You can purchase and download all 472 pages for the cost of a large cup of coffee.
Leung has previous experience of publishing e-books. Indeed, for a time he administered a Facebook group called Joint Venture eBook Publishing for the Australian Photographic Society, which was designed to assist interested members to learn the needed skills.
So, what is this book all about and how good is it? I expected the images to be excellent as I’ve been familiar with Leung’s work for many years. I was not disappointed. The huge number of diverse images are great. The writing complements the imagery very well.
Having travelled to China 20+ times since 2009, this photo artist has seen far more of that diverse country than most of us and, I suspect, more than a majority of permanent Chinese residents. Whilst I saw a tiny number of the places/events covered in this book during my one short visit to China, my collection of China images is miniscule in comparison.
There are magnificent landscapes – partially frozen waterfalls, snow-capped and sacred mountains, lakes, rugged terrain, sunrises and sunsets are all in this large volume. There are village scenes, panoramic views of very old bridges spanning lakes, golden fields in Xinjiang, nature’s sculptures, grand bazaar souvenir shopping, and much more. Here are just a small sample of Leung’s images.
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| Jiuzhaigou Sichuan |
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| Xingping Guilin Guangxi |
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| Rugged Scenery of Xinjiang |
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| Zhouzhuang Jiangsu |
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| Hemu Village Xinjiang |
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| Keketuohai Xinjiang |
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| Mengpin Terraces Yunnan |
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| Birds Nest Stadium Beijing |
And coverage of “Romance of the Song Dynasty”, a musical stage performance in Hangzhou which reminded me that I had photographed a couple of incredible stage shows including one in that city.
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| Hangzhou performance Zhejiang |
Those few images are but a tiny
sample of all that are in this excellent travelogue. And the book is not just a
collection of photos. It is much more. The accompanying words tell a
substantial story about the elegance of particular places in China, about
cruising on the Yangtze River, about the kindness of strangers that Leung has
met on his travels, about his amazement at Huangshan. And about peach blossom,
winter and the beauty of Taiwan.
It is particularly interesting to reflect on some of the author’s opening words in the book where he reveals that he was already reading Chinese history books when he was in third grade. “Within them, I discovered a fascinating world …. what captivated me the most were the majestic mountains, rivers, and ancient towns that seemed within reach yet were, in reality, impossibly distant. ….. more than thirty years have passed…. my passion eventually overcame all obstacles……I was able to fulfill my long-held dream of personally visiting the places I had read about.”
This is a comprehensive story in words and pictures of more than twenty trips to mainland China and to Taiwan. Do yourself a favour, buy a copy and immerse yourself in the story.
This review is also available on the author's blog here.
