Returning — Focusing on the love between parent and child animals in the name of photography
“Twenty-five days at sea, sub-zero temperatures as low as -30°C. Everything rolled around with the violently shaking ship — chairs overturned, suitcases fell over, and my camera bag rolled to the middle of the room, making clattering and banging noises... Even lying flat, I felt the up-and-down and side-to-side swaying, and most of the time I had to tightly grip the bed rail to keep from falling off. It was an experience unlike anything I’d ever had before...” This is an excerpt from Mao Xiaochu’s diary during her second trip to Antarctica.
If the first trip to Antarctica was for “clearing her mind,” then in December 2009, Mao Xiaochu’s return to Antarctica and her visit to the Arctic were in the name of photography.
From the process of landing to photograph penguins, she learned their most touching stories — when one penguin parent takes care of the chick, the other has to go to sea to find food. The one on the island must stay as still as possible, day after day for dozens of days, just to conserve strength and ensure the chick can hatch successfully. The one at sea has to travel long distances, search for food, and quickly return to take over, otherwise the chick will not survive. The parental love of penguins sparked Mao Xiaochu’s interest in photographing mother-and-child animals. In 2010, she traveled to the Arctic and Churchill in northern Canada specifically to shoot polar bear mothers and cubs.
A large penguin holding a chick on its feet was the most touching scene Mao Xiaochu captured. “I often found myself staring blankly, forgetting to press the shutter, even feeling as if I had become part of Antarctica, experiencing the rhythm of life...”
Returning home — Reinterpreting life: the deeper the love, the closer you get
“I want to go back to Antarctica. Next time, I’ll adjust my approach and shooting methods, striving to capture the Antarctica and penguins in my heart, to express my care for them, and to share my understanding of life, animals, and nature.” In December 2011, Mao Xiaochu set out on her fourth Antarctic expedition with these aspirations...
In January this year, upon returning from her fourth trip to Antarctica, a reporter asked Mao Xiaochu why she was so persistent. Her answer carried a touch of poetry: “I love Antarctica, it’s the last untouched land on Earth; I love penguins, they are the spirits of Antarctica. I love ice floes, they are nature’s masterpieces. The deeper the love, the closer you get.”
Mao Xiaochu said this experience has changed her life. The greatest gain from her four trips to Antarctica is a new understanding of life, animals, nature, and even the meaning of life itself. In the days to come, her lens will focus even more on animals, on nature, and on life itself.