Ricky Qi
Ricky Qi is a filmmaker and photographer whose work has appeared in National Geographic. He graduated from the University of California, San Diego where he studied under renowned China scholar Paul G. Pickowicz, receiving a degree in International Studies with a focus on Modern Chinese History. Ricky has lived and traveled extensively throughout China, his work spanning from the sand dunes of the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang to the snow-capped peaks in Kham Tibet. His documentary Under One Roof, chronicling the Mosuo people – China’s last matriarchal society – led to his recognition as a National Geographic Explorer.
More recently, Ricky retraced the famed Tang dynasty poet Li Bai’s sojourn up the Yangtze; his photographs were published in the Chinese language edition of National Geographic, “In the Footsteps of Li Bai.” As of 2021, Ricky is in development for his feature-film directorial debut. He remains deeply committed to telling stories that bridge the cultural distance between his ancestry in China and his home in the States.
My upcoming expeditions
Journey to Antarctica: The White Continent