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An international shutterbug takes photos of children drawing on cloth bags in the former residence of Feng Zikai in Tongxiang, Zhejiang province on April 15. [Photo by Xu Yu/Xinhua]

The traditional culture of Tongxiang in the city of Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, was unveiled to 17 foreign amateur photographers on April 15 and 16 as an important part of the 2017 "Zhejiang through Foreign Eyes" Short-Video Competition.

Hailing from 13 regions and countries from around the world like Spain, Germany, and Russia, they explored the host county-level city Tongxiang in different ways.

They visited the former residence of Feng Zikai (1898-1975), a famous Chinese master painter and cartoonist. Inside, the architecture matched traditional Chinese style, and visitors were introduced to many interesting things that happened to the artist. A French participant, whose Chinese name is Qi Bo, was impressed by the art work of Feng and his living conditions, saying, "The wonderful natural and cultural environment here must have been of great significance to Feng's artistic career."

A group of children had a drawing activity in the house that day and their lines and patterns on white cloth bags attracted these foreign shutterbugs' attention. They captured the moment with phones and cameras, looking forward to sharing them with friends.

After the visit to Feng's residence, the photographers were taken to savor the charm of folk culture in Tongxiang. They learned to draw on silkworm cocoons with Chinese brush pens and colorful pigments.

"I like Chinese traditional culture and by experiencing the art myself, I can know the difficulty and also the greatness of these artists," said a Mexican student.

The international photographers also had fun tasting the local food and playing traditional games with children.

During the visit to Tongxiang, the second stop of the 2017 "Zhejiang through Foreign Eyes" Short-Video Competition, participants took short videos of things they found enchanting. These videos are expected to show up on their social media platforms, playing active roles in spreading the beauty of Zhejiang province.