First prize winner Wang Zilin and his photos. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Wang Zilin won the first prize for his photos called Field of Hope.

He pictures show a cotton grower in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region whose family rely on a 13-hectares cotton field for their liveilihood.

"They pin their hopes on the harvest each autumn, and this inspired me to record their battle with the nature," says Wang.

He says photography is the same as growing cotton. "How much you gain depends on the amount of pain you can endure."

A photo exhibition themed Cotton, Nature and Human is now on and will run through Nov 29 at the Riverside Art Museum in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]