A man carries his grandchild before Eid festival prayers at Niujie Mosque. [Photo by Akash Ghai/ China Daily]

While I'm here, I want to use my foreign perspective as a strength, with the understanding that what may be exotic and unfamiliar to me, may be equally familiar and mundane to a Chinese audience. Although my photographs at China Daily are primarily for a foreign readership, I am curious about how Chinese people see my work. Am I just another outsider projecting my own idea of China onto my photographs, or am I able to work and think like someone who belongs here?

Does my work depict China accurately? Does it provide any insight that one may not get from books? Is it meaningful?