Luo Dan studied design and printmaking before working as a photojournalist for an agency. He worked for the agency for about 10 years but he felt that he needed to do work that had more personal relevance. The agency work just wore him out and he found it lacking in meaning. In the nineties he decided to focus on his own artwork and made two major journeys across China, photographing these journeys with medium format film-based cameras. During this time his work acquired a ‘stillness’, a more serious and contemplative style. He wanted to show the changes that were happening in China, the changes to lifestyle and the urbanization of the countryside, by recording this large series of works. The images are sharp and clear and document China at a particular time. 

On Luo Dan’s cross-country journey of China in 2006, he produced the photo series “China Route 318”. In 2008, he again travelled the country to take photographs for his project “North, South”. 

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