Ch'ien C. Lee (Chinese: 李乾; pinyin: Lǐ Qián) is a photographer and botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes.
Lee has described several new Nepenthes species, including N. baramensis[1] (now known as N. hemsleyana[2]), N. chaniana,[3] N. gantungensis,[4] N. glandulifera,[5] N. jamban,[6] N. lingulata,[6] N. palawanensis,[7] N. pitopangii,[8] N. platychila,[9] and N. harauensis[10].
Having maintained a keen interest in nature since a child, his enthusiasm has led him to study various subjects ranging from entomology to animal tracking and ethnobotany, and eventually to work as a naturalist and environmental educator in the East Bay Regional Parks in northern California.
In 1996, fulfilling a lifelong desire to live in the tropics, he moved to Sarawak (East Malaysia, on the island of Borneo) to work in a program for the propagation of native plant species.
Ch'ien studied photography while at school and has always considered it an excellent method to convey ideas and share his fascination about natural subjects encountered during his travels.