Photography festival showcases modern art in heritage city

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-19 22:54

Photographers from all around the world gather at the opening ceremony of the seven-day Pingyao International Photography Festival at Pingyao, north China's Shanxi Province, September 19, 2009. [Xinhua]

PINGYAO: One of China's best-preserved ancient cities, Pingyao, in north China's Shanxi Province, saw the opening of a large photography festival Saturday.

More than 20,000 pictures by 1,232 photographers from 46 countries and regions were put on display in the seven-day Pingyao International Photography Festival (PIP).

Pingyao, 616 kilometers southwest to Beijing, was listed as a world heritage site by the UNESCO in 1997. It can be traced back to 2,700 years ago and was rebuilt in 1370 when most of the remaining brick houses and a city wall were built up.

"The ancient city itself is a great attraction for photographers, making it an ideal rendezvous for us to communicate while having fun," said professional photographer Long Jinxiang.

PIP is among the 10 largest photography festivals in China and the only one to be held in a world heritage site, said Hu Suping, head of Shanxi Provincial Publicity Department.

"The combination of modern art and traditional culture is powerful," said David Mulroney, Canadian ambassador to China.

In the past eight sessions of PIP, more than 1.6 million people enjoyed works of 1,600 photographers from various parts of the world. "We endeavor to keep PIP global, professional and diverse," Hu said.

"We are here to see different styles of photos and find interesting photographers that we don't know for now," said James Dooley, who has a stand in the exhibition.

Often dubbed as the Wall Street of ancient China, Pingyao is the birthplace of China's banking industry. As early as 1824, China's first bank - Rishengchang was established here.

Across the 19th century, the city had 22 banks with 400 branches all over the country. The first bankers built luxurious houses, many of which are now turned into folk style inns with distinct cultural and historical features of Ming and Qing Dynasties.

"We love the place. There are artworks everywhere, so rich and exotic," said Bryan from Melbourne.

The ancient city has 3,797 traditional houses, 400 of which remain intact today, including Rishengchang and some other banks. The 12-meter high adobe wall protecting the city extends 6.4 kilometers, protecting the 2.25-square-kilometer heritage city of 35,000 people.