China envoy moonlights in New York

Zhong Ruiming, China's deputy consul general in New York, introduces his new photography book New York through the Lens of a Chinese Diplomat on Tuesday during its launching ceremony at the Asian Cultural Center. The book collects more than 300 photos Zhong took in the past three year working in the Big Apple. HEZI JIANG / CHINA DAILY

On weekdays, dressed in a suit and tie, Deputy Consul General Zhong Ruiming does what he can to promote US-China relations from the Chinese consulate in Manhattan overlooking the Hudson River.

On weekends, he straps on his camera bag, hops on a bike and delves into the lives of New Yorkers.

Taking photos of local people and landscapes takes up most of the spare time of this overseas diplomat.

"It helps me understand every aspect of the country where I am posted," he wrote in the foreword of his new book New York through the Lens of a Chinese Diplomat (Asian Culture and Media Group, 2016), launched on Tuesday at the Asian Cultural Center in New York.

Framed by the same tunnel in Central Park, he shows the green-and-orange of early autumn and the snowy white of winter. He captures the romantic moment of a man in a Wolverine costume proposing to his girlfriend at New York Comic Con. Timed to coincide with the 2016 China-US Tourism Year, the book is a celebration of cultural interaction.

"State-to-state relations thrive when there is friendship between the peoples," said Zhong. "We are also seeing more foreign photographers go on to the streets of China and share their works with their people."

Zhong has taken tens of thousands of photos in the Big Apple since being transferred there from the embassy in Indonesia in 2013. The book features more than 300 photographs organized to six sections: City Landscapes, The Four Seasons, Home of Birds, Diverse Society, Festival Parades and Chinese Culture.

With his Asian looks and big camera in hand, Zhong is easily mistaken for just another tourist. His photos provide the distinction.