On December 14th 2017, A New Start of Beijing in the Eyes of Foreign Friends Photo Contest Award Ceremony and Exchange for Foreign Friends in Beijing was held in the hall of Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. 

A group photo of organizer, guest and winner

The competition was jointly organized by the Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Foreign Affairs Office of Beijing Municipal People's Government, the Information Office of Beijing Municipal People's Government, Beijing Municipal Education Commission, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Foreign Experts, Beijing Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment, China World Peace Foundation and the Organizing Committee of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games and Paralympics. Ms. Tian Yan, director of the organizing committee and vice president of Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Mr. Li Meng, vice president of Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Dr. Li Ruohong, vice president of Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and president of China World Peace Foundation, Ms. Li Shuping, Deputy Director of Beijing Foreign Experts Bureau, Leela Mani Paudyal, Nepal Ambassador to China and Mohamed Faisal, Maldivian Ambassador to China attended the event and awarded prizes to winners. 

Dr. Li Ruohong and Nepal Ambassador Leela Mani Paudyal awarding prize to winner

This photo contest was warmly welcomed and actively participated by foreign friends. With a unique perspective, he or she photographed the development, changes, customs and beautiful scenery of Beijing. The contest received a total of 3,015 outstanding works from 62 countries. After the selection by experts, 300 photos were shortlisted and 50 award-winning works were produced. Francisco Little’s Light Moods (South African) and Krzysztof Koszewski’s Black Mountains (Polish) won the first prize; Maldivian Ambassador Mohamed Faisal, Christophe Pompeani (French), Mikhail Pomerantsev (Russian) and Dese Yadeta Edesa (Ethiopian) won the second prize. The contest also produced 8 third-prize winners and 36 excellent award winners. Students of Institute of Broadcasting Arts from the Communication University of China made excellent video clips for winners to show their appreciation. 

Dr. Li Ruohong and second-prize winner H.E. Maldivian Ambassador Mohamed Faisal

Beijing Municipal People's Government English website eBeijing also launched the most popular photography network selection, and received a total of 530,000 valid votes within 15 days. Jiang Wei, director of Information Center of Foreign Affairs Office of Beijing Municipal People's Government awarded prize for the top 10 vote collectors on site.  

After the award ceremony, guests, photographers, professionals and both Chinese and foreign friends from various circles visited the 2017 award-winning photographic exhibition and held a lively exchange and discussion.