A solitary traveler's lonely freedom captured in breathtaking landscapes—photographer wins top prize among Top 100 Global Chinese Travelers

This event, co-founded by leading cross-strait travel media and hailed as the largest selection campaign in travel history—the “Fifth Edition: The Meaning of Travel – 2013 Top 100 Global Chinese Travelers”—this year took “Scenic Wonders Through the Eyes of Travelers – A Global Photography Competition” as its theme, establishing the highest honor in global travel. From July 25 to September 25, over 5,000 outstanding entries from both sides of the Taiwan Strait competed fiercely, receiving enthusiastic participation with more than 100,000 votes from netizens.

 

This year, Taiwan’s top prize was claimed by freelance photographer Wu Rongbang. With his uniquely styled photographic work “The Lonely Traveler – Joshua Tree,” paired with deeply touching written narratives that depict an enduring dialogue between travelers and the world, he earned unanimous acclaim from judges and netizens alike, securing the Taiwan champion title and taking home the grand annual prize—a round-trip airline ticket to Paris.

The second-place winner, Bai Yunzi, with her work “Stop, Look, Listen,” emphasized the profound meaning of travel through simple colors and compositions, highlighting the traveler’s experience of moving through the world. She claimed the runner-up position in Taiwan and won a $1,000 American Express Travelers Cheque.

 

Since 2009, 《TRAVELER Luxe旅人志》 has pioneered online interactive events in the travel industry by launching the “The Meaning of Travel – Telling Travelers’ Stories Through Photos” competition, creating a stage for global travelers to share, exchange, and compete for glory.

After a rigorous preliminary selection process, “2013 Top 100 Global Chinese Travelers” selected 200 shortlisted works each from Taiwan and mainland China, followed by a second phase of public voting (40% weight) and jury scoring (60% weight) from September 11 to 25. The jury, convened by City Publishing Group CEO He Feipeng, included heavyweight figures in the travel industry such as Phoenix Travel Agency Chairman Zhang Jinming, Yunlan Tourism Group General Manager Sheng Zhirren, International Visual Arts Center CEO Quan Huahua, and internationally renowned graphic designer Xiao Qingyang. Together, they selected Taiwan’s top ten best travelers of the year.

The grand prize of this selection event was a “EVA Air round-trip ticket to Paris,” with other awards including “American Express Travelers Cheques, FlyDai Travel 24-Country European Rail Pass, high-end digital audio systems,” making it the most prestigious competition in the travel industry this year. Participants in the public vote had the chance to win prizes such as “luxury accommodation and dining packages at Chang Yung-Fa Foundation Evergreen Laurel Spa Hotel (Jiaoxi),” with the full list of winners available on the official 〈MOOK景点家〉 website: www.mook.com.tw.

 

 

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