On the afternoon of August 12, the "Center for International Exchanges in Pictures" Photo Festival, an event co-hosted by the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality and China Public Diplomacy Association, was launched at the Beijing Yanqi Lake International Conference Resort.

This photo festival encourages participants to use cameras to capture the highlights, changes and progress of Beijing in improving its role as the national center for international exchanges. Professional photographers will be invited to take pictures of key functional areas for international exchanges, which include the Qihu Cluster, Phase II and III of the China International Exhibition Center (new venue), three cultural landmarks in Beijing Municipal Administrative Center (a theatre, a library, and a museum), the central area of the Olympic Park and the Fourth Embassy Zone. The goal of the event is to showcase Beijing's achievements in improving its role as the national center for international exchanges and promote its image as a cosmopolitan metropolis by recording its development efforts, as part of the city's concrete action to set the stage for the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

The activity adopts targeted and public solicitation. It will collect photos capturing the progress, highlights and milestones of major projects from the project owners and builders and also collect photos telling the stories of the national center for international exchanges from photography enthusiasts. Entries can be sent to gyjzbj2022@163.com. The host will invite experts to review and select 30 photos or sets of photos and award certificates and bonuses to the chosen participants. A special feature will be launched on the official website of the Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs Office to display the award-winning works.

(Reporter: Fan Junsheng)