Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page B8

May 9, 2014

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Photography festival broadens its horizons

By Xu Wenwen | May 9, 2014, Friday | Print Edition

FOR those jogging, walking or biking around West Lake may well enjoy stopping and taking a look at the myriad photo exhibitions at different venues in the area.

The exhibitions are a part of the 7th Hangzhou Citizen Photography Festival, which is open to everyone.

“We want to tell the stories of Hangzhou to more people,” said Wang Jian’er, deputy minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Hangzhou Committee and director of the Information Office of Hangzhou Municipality, on the opening ceremony of the festival.

Wang said the festival is more international this year, and foreigners are invited for the first time.

This year’s theme is “My City and Me” and participants have been encouraged to focus on the natural environment and Hangzhou’s public transportation network.

The past six editions have seen more than 140,000 photos submitted with about 10 percent being selected to display. About 350,000 people have attended the festival over the years.

One of this year’s highlights is the do-it-yourself postcard campaign “Discover the charm of Hangzhou.” Anyone can snap a photo of the city and use it to get a printed postcard. Then address to a family member or friend and mail it.

“We want to promote the city internationally,” Wang said. “So we hope tourists from abroad will participate in the postcard campaign and send one to a friend.”

Those who want to send a postcard can visit www.diy616.com. They can upload their own photos or pick one from the website. Almost all the photos on the website are works from the past six citizen photo festivals. Governmental staff workers will help users send their postcards, with the first being free.

“We want to use the photos we collected in the past six years to promote the city,” Wang said.

Those who register on the website will have their names entered in a lucky draw. Five grand prize winners will receive a three-day trip to Hangzhou for two people. Another 50 people will receive two tickets to “Impression of West Lake” performance.

Winners will be announced on the website on July 10.

With festival organizers working to broaden the festival’s reach, several exhibitions will feature work by photographers from around the world. The Sipa Exhibition features pictures by photo journalists from the France-based photo agency. There’s also the Exhibition of Work of Worldwide Photography Masters and the Exhibition of Italian Photographers.

Consulates in Shanghai have also been invited to show their works about the city as well.

Yesterday, the festival released two postcard series. One has been autographed by city Mayor Zhang Hongming and the other has a picture of the famous attraction Three Pools Mirroring the Moon. The postage has already been paid, so get one and jot down a quick note to a friend and pop it into a mail box.

“It is impressive to see a photo festival with a focus on local people, and the photos on display are excellent,” said T. C. Lin, a photographer from Taiwan attending the festival.

The festival concludes on June 30.

The many sides of Hangzhou

The award-winning photos can be viewed at Solitary Hill, Hangzhou International Information Exchange Center, Bai Causeway, and Marco Polo Square. The four venues are all near West Lake.

The exhibitions at each venue will also display pictures taken by professional photographers. Here’s a list of the exhibitions.

• ‘My City and Me’ Exhibition

The festival’s main exhibition displays photos showcasing the beauty of Hangzhou.

Venue: Solitary Hill

• Exhibition of 10 Photography Books about Hangzhou

This is a solo exhibition by Ren Yue, a curator and deputy dean of the Journalism Department at Renmin University of China.

Venue: Solitary Hill

• Group Exhibitions Themed with West Lake

This exhibition is divided into five parts — The 2nd Exhibition of Awarded Works for the West Lake Photography Prize; Exhibition of West Lake Lotus Photography; Ten Photographers Visit West Lake; Exhibition of the Most Interesting Photos Taken at West Lake; and Exhibition of Photos of Hangzhou Through the Eyes of Foreigners.

Venue: Bai Causeway

• Group Exhibitions

The group exhibition includes numerous displays. They are: Exhibition of Sipa’s Photos (Sipa is a France-based photo  agency); Exhibition of Hong Kong Famed Photographer Chun Wai; Exhibition of Famous Taiwan Photographers; Exhibition of Photography Masters Who Have Been Reported by Photo World; Exhibition of Italian Photographers; and Photo Exhibition of Hangzhou Life. There will also be a seminar among celebrated photographers.

Venue: Hangzhou International Information Exchange Center, 40 Beishan Rd

Hangzhou


 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend