Gallery / XINJIANG / Yi Li
Yi Li
Kazakh Horseman on the Steppe
2023-07-08
nomad / steppe / portrait
He appeared from behind a low ridge without a sound — a young Kazakh herder moving his flock to higher pasture. We shared no language but the same appreciation for the landscape that held us both. He let me take one frame.
Wildflower Valley
2023-07-09
flower / meadow / spring
The Ili Valley in early July is carpeted in wildflowers — lavender, yellow, and white stretching to the base of the Tianshan range. I had read about it for years and still was not prepared for the actual scale of it.
Ancient Silk Road Mosque
2023-07-10
architecture / history / culture
This mosque in Yining has stood on the Silk Road trade route for centuries. Its weathered walls carry the marks of countless caravans, prayers, and passing seasons. The light inside in the late afternoon is unlike anywhere else I have been.
Ili Valley Panorama
2023-07-11
valley / panorama / landscape
The Ili Valley from above reveals its full geometry — a wide plain bordered by snow-capped mountains on three sides, the river cutting through the center like a silver thread across green.
Golden Grassland at Sunrise
2023-07-12
grassland / sunrise / pastoral
The steppe grasses turn gold in the early morning light. The Kazakh herders have been reading this landscape for generations — you can see the paths worn by centuries of movement across the plain.
Apricot Blossoms in Huiyuan
2023-04-20
blossom / spring / pastoral
Every spring the apricot trees around Huiyuan explode into bloom. The effect is sudden and brief — a week at most — and worth planning an entire trip around. I arrived on the third day and left on the sixth.
Yurt Camp on High Pasture
2023-07-13
yurt / nomadic / pastoral
The summer yurt camps move with the grass. This family had been at this elevation for two weeks and would move higher in another ten days, following a rhythm older than any map I've ever consulted.
Ili River at Sunset
2023-07-14
river / sunset / landscape
The Ili River winds through the valley floor with a gentleness that belies its eventual journey to the vast Kazakh steppe. At sunset the water turns the color of old brass and the cottonwood leaves go silent.
Spruce Forest Morning Light
2023-07-15
forest / morning / light
The Tianshan spruce forests are unlike any other. The trees grow in perfect columns on steep slopes, and in the morning light they cast long shadows across each other in an architecture entirely their own.
Ancient Village of Huiyuan
2023-07-16
village / history / architecture
Huiyuan was once a Qing dynasty military outpost on the Silk Road. The old town retains a quiet dignity — low walls, narrow lanes, and the sound of the call to prayer drifting over the rooftops at dusk.
Kazakh Shepherd on the Hillside
2023-07-17
portrait / shepherd / pastoral
He was watching his flock from the same hillside his grandfather had watched his. I asked if I could photograph him and he agreed without much interest — just a foreigner with a camera, passing through.
Poplar Avenue in Autumn
2023-10-15
autumn / trees / road
The poplar-lined roads of Xinjiang are legendary among photographers. In October the leaves turn brilliant yellow and the straight roads stretch to the horizon like something from a painting — a landscape almost too composed.
Flooded Meadow at Dawn
2023-05-10
reflection / meadow / water
After spring snowmelt, the lower meadows flood briefly. The standing water becomes a mirror for the peaks above, and in the early morning the scene has an unearthly stillness — two landscapes for the price of one.
High Altitude Grassland
2023-07-18
grassland / altitude / landscape
Above 2,000 meters the grass is shorter and the light is harder. The plateau feels exposed, enormous, and completely indifferent to human presence — which is most of what I came for.
Tianshan in Storm Light
2023-07-19
mountain / storm / dramatic
A storm moving east through the Tianshan range cast the peaks in a light that lasted maybe five minutes. I had the camera out before I fully understood what was happening — pure reflex.
Sunset Over the Ili Valley
2023-07-20
sunset / valley / panorama
The last light leaves the Ili Valley slowly, the mountains holding their glow long after the plain below has gone dark. I stayed until I couldn't see the road anymore and still felt like I left too soon.
