The photo taken in 1969 shows a hard-cart puller and a man carrying a pole. [Photo by Tang Desheng/cpanet.org.cn]

The photographer Tang Desheng, who was born by the Grand Canal and grew up near the canal, has special attachment to the canal. In his childhood, he used his uncle’s camera to capture the scene of his friends in a water fight, marking his first encounter with photography. Since then, he has become interested in photography and embarked his road of creation.

The photo album The Grand Canal has not only been highly praised in the photographic circle in China, but also has won many awards abroad. "What we hold is not a common camera lens, but our state of mind," Tang Desheng said.