Over the last few years, Yang has also been teaching photography at a local senior university. He encourages his students to find their own muse.

　　"I focus less on techniques and more on ideas," he said. "I believe it is more important to discover why you photograph and what you choose to see."

　　Even in his 70s, Yang has not considered retiring from the field. Dongting Lake, he said, still changes every year.

　　"There is always something new to photograph," he said. "As long as I am able to carry the camera, I"ll keep going."

　　Contact the writers at limuyun@chinadaily.com.cn