Kakun Kusha Village Chief in DRC

Pterocarpus tinctorius, or Mukula tree, is a rare and slow-growing hardwood unique to southern and central Africa. Mukula has been illegally logged and traded from Zambia and DRC to China for the last decade, feeding the increasing demand of "rosewood" in the Chinese market.
Chinese photographer Lu Guang traveled to Katanga province in the DR Congo as well as eastern China documenting the expanding Mukula industry. The project, commissioned by Greenpeace, follows its supply chain from the DRC, where it’s used for traditional medicine, dye, and a source of pollen for bees used in honey production—to processing centers in China and upscale furniture showrooms.