A mountain of images

During Luo's team's endeavors to find and record those precious creatures, the explorers have faced danger.

In 2011, the team was attacked by hornets at the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon when smoke from a photographer's cigarette stirred their nest.

"They are as big as three bees, and three to five times as poisonous," Luo recalls.

A photographer was badly stung and had to go to the hospital, which was a two-hour drive away.

"It was critical, and his life could have been on the line if things got delayed a bit," he says.

They also experienced land collapses and landslides, but fortunately, came away unscathed.

"The hardships are often there, but there's always something that inspires me to go on," Luo says.

Their findings will be made into books featuring vivid photos and scientific texts.