A night of celebration

Revelers enjoy prizewinning photos, Yunnan culture as China Daily European Weekly marks five years

China Daily European Weekly, China's first English-language newspaper in Europe, celebrated its fifth anniversary in London on Nov 29.

That day also saw the award ceremony for the Amazing China Mobile Phone Photo Contest as well as a gala to bring the southwestern province of Yunnan's unique culture to the United Kingdom.

European Weekly was launched in London in 2010 to cover business, political and cultural news from the perspective of China-European ties. With a circulation of 110,000, the edition is now distributed in 23 countries.

European Weekly has won Launch Paper of the Year, awarded in 2011 by the UK's Association of Circulation Executives, and the International Media Award sponsored by the Plain English Campaign.

Last year, the edition won International Newspaper of the Year at the annual Newspaper Awards, which recognize the best in print and digital news media production and innovation.

It was the first time a Chinese paper had won the award.

China's ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, sent his congratulations: "Five years on, China Daily European Weekly has made great efforts to tell China's story and spread China's message. It is widely recognized by readers and in the media as an important source of first-hand information about China. This has been a major contribution to better understanding between the peoples of China and the UK."

The Night of Shangri-La, a gala showcasing the beauty and charm of Yunnan, was staged on the evening of Nov 29 and featured dancing, music and magic from the province, which is home to multiple ethnic groups. The name of the gala comes from the fictional town in Lost Horizon, a novel by James Hilton.

The event was organized by the provincial government and hosted by Shangri-La Hotel in The Shard, an iconic building in central London.

Part of the evening was given to an award ceremony for China Daily's Amazing China Mobile Phone Photo Contest. Launched in August, the competition encouraged people to submit photos of Chinese scenery taken using smartphones.

To welcome President Xi Jinping at start of his state visit to the UK last month, more than 100 pictures from the more than 8,000 submitted were printed and displayed on 50 London black cabs.

Judges from the China Photography Association and the British Royal Photographic Society selected six first-place winners in various categories, as well as overall gold and silver winners.

As the honorary photographer of the contest, Home Office Minister of State Michael Bates addressed the ceremony. Between July and October, he walked 1,600 kilometers from Beijing to Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, as part of the Walk for Peace campaign. He raised funds for the China Red Cross and took many photos to record the lives of local people.

Prints of the winning entries of Amazing China contest will be auctioned, with all proceeds going to charity.

Amazing China photos on next page.

machi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 12/04/2015 page24)