Convent of the Sacred Heart senior Katherine Siciliano launched an Instagram account called @china_travels, November 2015, to share photographs from her trips to China. Her @china_travels account currently has 325 followers and features 60 pictures, ranging from landscapes to portraits to ponies.

After visiting China with her family sophomore year, and with her Sacred Heart Chinese class during spring break of junior year, Katherine became motivated to share her experiences in China through photography.
Katherine is not the only student with a successful photo blog. Sophomore Sloane Kratzman launched her own fashion blog Sailing the Sea of Style, which currently has 4,552 followers, while senior Georgina Cahill‘s travel Instagram @figisisters has 1,461 followers. Juniors Allie Massello and Hanna Sheehan also dove into the world of fashion with their @DontChangetheChanel Instagram, which now has 434 followers.
“I saw Gigi Cahill’s Instagram account, @figisisters, with all her travel photos, and realized I have so many pretty photos of my own,” Katherine said. “It seemed like a really fun thing to do, and a great way share my experiences from China.”

Katherine has traveled to and posted photos from Shanghai, Beijing, Guilin, Lijiang, Xi’an, Hangzhou, and Suzhou. She plans to continue posting one new picture every day.
“I have about 3,000 pictures now, and I might be going to Tibet for spring break, so I can take more then. I don’t think I will have a problem posting everyday,” Katherine said.
The first picture Katherine posted on @china_travels is of the white water terraces of Blue Moon Valley in Lijiang, China. The white water terraces are stone steps submerged in melted runoff from the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
“I was looking at everything around me, and I happened to be at a certain angle facing the steps where I could see the stones clearly through the water. It was a perfect moment to capture the beauty of the valley,” Katherine said.

Katherine’s collection includes snapshots of the Great Wall of China, the Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower, and the Forbidden City. Her favorite photograph is of the Liu Sanjie Light Show in Guilin, China. It depicts the love story of a young woman named Liu Sanjie, and is performed on the waters of the Li river, with a backdrop of steep, lighted mountains.
“When I went to see the Guilin impression light show, I was really inspired by the scenery and their use of lights to outline the silhouette of the actors on the river. I just felt like I had to capture that moment,” Katherine said.
Katherine first became involved in photography during her sophomore year, when she received a camera as a gift for Christmas.

“I used to just use my phone whenever I wanted to take a picture, but after I got the camera, it allowed me to take higher quality photos. I began to enjoy photography more, and appreciate how it let me capture and relive moments I connected to whenever I wanted,” Katherine said.
Katherine plans to study Chinese in college and continue to post photographs on her @travel_china account.
“Looking back on these photos reminds me of how beautiful China is and posting them allows me to share China’s beauty with everyone,” Katherine said. 
– Elizabeth Bachmann, Co-Features Editor