Beijing through foreign eyes

When you have lived in a place for a long time, subtle changes that occur in your surroundings often escape the eye.

The face of Beijing has changed rapidly in recent years, but even dramatic changes quickly become part of people's daily lives.

However, for those keen on using a camera to capture the spirit of cities, and other places, these changes can tell the stories of residents' pursuits and dreams.

Photographers were given the chance to do that in 2014 in an event with the theme, "The Chinese dream in the eyes of foreign friends". The Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries was one of the hosts of the event.

From a pool of more than 4,000 images taken by photographers from 58 countries and regions, 300 photographs were shortlisted from which the prizewinners were selected.

Photographers recorded many aspects of life in the Chinese capital, including natural surroundings, buildings, cultural heritage and human emotions.

The event has been held annually since 2009.

(China Daily Africa Weekly  01/09/2015 page4)