Visitors at the China Grand Canal Museum in Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province on July 2, 2024. Photo: VCG

A photography exhibition, titled Canals in Ancient and Present, Linping in Style: From Seine to Canals opened in Paris, France, on Monday. The five-day exhibition is trying to provide the French public with an opportunity to visually explore Linping, Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang Province, and better understand China through a visual encounter with the East.

The exhibition features over 60 photographs taken by local photography enthusiasts, covering various themes like natural ecology, economic development, cultural arts, and daily life. The "Canals in Ancient and Present" section focuses on showcasing the changes in local urban and rural environments, while the "Linping in Style" section highlights the district's contemporary modernization across different fields.

It is worth noting that the exhibition was carefully curated to promote mutual understanding and goodwill between China and France, with many of the displayed works having natural connections to France and Paris in particular. 

For instance, the exhibition includes images of Linping's unmanned factories and automated sorting robots, reflecting China's advancements in intelligent manufacturing, which parallels France's status as a leading industrial country. The exhibition also showcases Linping's vibrant fashion industry, with photos from the Yishang town international fashion show showcasing Eastern fashion aesthetics. Additionally, with the Paris Olympics set to open on July 26, the exhibition features images related to the Hangzhou Asian Games, including venue shots, event moments, and local "village basketball" games.

A spokesperson from the Information Office of the Linping District Government expressed that they hope to use the story of Linping to further present a true, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive image of China to a wider audience.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France, as well as the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism. Both countries boast rich histories and vibrant cultures, with the Grand Canal and the Seine River representing their respective developmental narratives of "flourishing by the river." 

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the successful application of the Grand Canal for World Heritage status. As an outstanding example of the engineering prowess and mastery of hydrology of ancient Chinese people, the canal is still in use today as an important means of communication. The Grand Canal, at this special time, testifies to the cultural routes and the great integration of Chinese multi-ethnic groups.

Linping, located at the southern end of the Grand Canal in China, benefits from its rich canal resources, which have nurtured the area for centuries. Today, the district is leveraging its canal heritage to build a deeply integrated Shanghai Bridgehead and a model area for city-industry integration, aiming to create a new eastern center for Hangzhou. This initiative reflects the broader trend of high-quality development across China.