As the winner of the #MyChinaExperience photo contest, Cathay Pacific sent Kevin Mao on a two-week adventure through China. For him, it was an opportunity to explore his ancestral motherland more deeply than he ever had before.
After exploring the skylines of Hong Kong and the rice paddies and rivers of Guilin, Kevin spent his final week getting to know the high-energy city of Shanghai. As soon as he landed, he turned to friends he’d previously known only through social media.
“I had some friends that are pretty well versed in some really photogenic spots, some cool spots, they definitely helped me a lot. It would’ve taken a lot of time to research some of the places that they showed me,” he said. These were friends he’s known through Instagram for awhile, some as long as two or three years. One even flew in from southern China to visit and photograph the city with Kevin.
“So from the Instagram friends, to the hotels, it was the people who were the highlight of the trip.”