A polar bear plays with its cub in the Arctic Circle in a photo taken by Gu Ying in Canada in 2014. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The next year, Gu flew to inland Antarctica to take shots of the emperor penguin. This time, she was stuck in a camp near the habitat of the penguins for 18 days because of strong storms caused by the El Nino effect.

"Everyone was frustrated, but I was very happy because I could spend more time taking photos of emperor penguins," says Gu. "And only in storms could one represent the real living environment of emperor penguins."

"Every day, I spent more than 10 hours out there photographing the penguins," adds Gu.

Last year, Gu went to Hoh Xil in Qinghai province three times. She wanted to photograph the Tibetan antelopes in the least populated area of China 5,000 meters above sea level.

In order to capture the Tibetan antelope's breeding process, Gu remained hidden from 5 am to 9 pm every day.

"I could not go outside, nor eat any food with smells. It was really tough, but I think it was worth it," says Gu, whose photos have been used by the Hoh Xil local government in applying for the UNESCO's World Heritage List.

"After all these years photographing wildlife, recording their lives has begun to feel like a responsibility for me," says Gu.

"But I don't want my photos to be the last 'living monuments' of those species that can be seen only in a frame."