Three months ago, Zi uploaded photos taken by HSH members to the professional photo and design website zcool.com.cn. Their work attracted more than 1,100 followers and received about 600,000 hits in a short period. Chinese netizens marveled at their pictures and they have since expanded into other online publication channels.

A web engineer at a Chinese media company in Nairobi, Zi has lived in Kenya for three years. He says he has gone from knowing little about Africa to becoming deeply immersed in the culture of different African countries. He says he finds the continent fascinating.

Through his photography Zi has made a number of local and Chinese friends. He has also been inspired and moved on many occasions, including by the children he met at a slum school and by the people who have invited him into their home for food and water.

"I prefer to photograph ordinary people. I just record what I see," says the 33-year-old.

Qi Lin, who helped to found the group, has photographed the daily life of a boxer growing up in the slums, young artists from Kenya and Masai runners.

To capture flamingos in flight Qi once waited at the edge of a crater lake in Kenya in the early hours of the morning, holding heavy camera gear, scared that he might be confronted by hippos.

"Except for professional photographers from National Geographic or some television stations, who else will do crazy things like this? Only the members of HSH will do it," jokes Qi.

Qi is a project manager with AVIC International, an aviation technology corporation. He has been in Kenya for two years, and says as soon as he set foot in the country he felt at home.

Pupils at a slum school in Kenya have fun on their playground.Photos by Zi Ran / for China Daily

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