After working for National Pictorial for 5 years, he decided to become an independent photographer. From 1989 to 1990, he shot a series of images of the living conditions of patients in Chinese mental hospitals. From 1992 to 1996, he shot a series of images about Catholicism in China. From 1996 to 2004, he shot a series images of the daily life of Tibetan farmers. Lu Nan is known as "the most legendary photographer in China". Compared to the photography filed, his reputation in the art field seems to be greater. His early photograph Increase one meter for unknown mountain has become the most classic image of Chinese contemporary art. He is also the only Chinese contemporary photographer chosen by Aperture magazine as a topic colon.[1]