Wu Hongli and his book Cats in Beijing. [Photo by Wu Hongli/provided to China Daily]

Wu, born and bred in Anji, a small county in Zhejiang province known for its bamboo forest, and which featured in Ang Lee's martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University after studying environmental engineering.

His family had dozens of dogs over the years, which enabled him to be close to animals. In 2012 he took a stray cat to his home in Anji and named it Bomb, and five years later took another stray cat back home and named it Witch. Both cats are now living with his mother in Anji because the itinerant Wu cannot take care of them.

One of Wu's online followers has become his business partner, helping to promote his photos.

In October Wu held an art exhibition in conjunction with Beijing Adoption Day, a charity dedicated to promoting animal rights in China, raising money for stray cats, and several Chinese charity organizations have commissioned him to take photos of stray animals, hoping to raise awareness of animal protection.