The source of the Mekong

The Mekong River connects six countries and more than sixty million people. It begins as a small stream in the Tibetan plateau and grows into one of Asia’s most vital waterways. This project explores how the river shapes the lives of those who depend on it — and how its flow is being altered by human ambition, dams, and politics.

At the Source

The journey began in the highlands of Yushu, Tibet, where the Mekong (known locally as the Za Qu) first emerges from the melting snow. There, among nomadic herders and vast grasslands, the river is still young and clear. These first photographs trace its beginnings — a reminder that every major river starts quietly, far from the conflicts and cities that later define it.