Unique visual account of life on Thai trains

After rise to fame, Chinese photographer Qian Haifeng turns lens on kingdom's railways

3. 20241101-172Rapid-Phatthalung to Krung Thep Aphiwat_.jpg

A girl and her cat travel aboard the No. 172 rapid service train from Phatthalung province, in southern Thailand, en route to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station in Bangkok, in November 2024. (All photos by Qian Haifeng)

THOMAS BIRD

February 6, 2025 08:00 JST

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- Chinese photographer Qian Haifeng made his reputation photographing people on trains. And like his principal subject matter, he is forever on the move. "I arrived back in China on Nov. 10 after 37 days of nonstop travel in Thailand," the 56-year-old says of his recent Southeast Asian photography excursion.