Photographer Li Li, 69, displays some of his tiger pictures at a photo exhibition in Wuhan, Hubei province.（Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn）

Photographer Li Li, 69, displayed 40 of his pictures of tigers at an exhibition that opened recently in Wuhan, Hubei province.

The tiger enthusiast traveled to zoos across China over the last 22 years to take photos of the animals.

As a child, he heard his grandmother tell a story about how a tiger saved by a woodcutter paid him back.

"That was when my affection with tigers began," the retired editor said.

In the late 20th century, wild tigers in China were near extinction. That motivated Li to take pictures while he still could. He spent many weekends at the Wuhan Zoo and became familiar with the names and different habits of the tigers there.

His favorite is a female named Niuniu.

Photographer Li Li, 69, displays some of his tiger pictures at a photo exhibition in Wuhan, Hubei province.（Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn）

"She is quiet, aloof and proud, with distinguished elegance," Li said. "Like humans, tigers have unique personalities."

Starting at 5 am on the day of a visit, he would typically wait an hour or so for Niuniu to wake up with a yawn. He followed the tiger for about 10 years.

The Siberian Tiger Park in Heilongjiang province built a large wild training space for tigers to stay connected to their wild nature. Li visited the park multiple times in winter to photograph tigers playing in snow.

"It was minus 30 C," he said. "My eyelashes stuck together."

Li said that tigers like to live alone, and if several gather in the same area, they are very likely to fight.

"If one creeps closer to another, it means it's about to attack. So I put up my camera instantly," he said.

He noted that researchers have found traces of Siberian tigers in the wild in recent years, which means their survival status has improved, thanks to the country's ecological and environmental protection work.

This year is the Year of Tiger. The species is known as the "king of animals" in China. The exhibition, organized by the Hubei Photographers Association and Wuhan Photographers Association, will last until mid-March before moving to other cities.

Photographer Li Li, 69, displays some of his tiger pictures at a photo exhibition in Wuhan, Hubei province.（Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn）

Photographer Li Li (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)

Photographer Li Li, 69, displays some of his tiger pictures at a photo exhibition in Wuhan, Hubei province.（Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn）

Photographer Li Li, 69, displays some of his tiger pictures at a photo exhibition in Wuhan, Hubei province.（Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn）