Visual artists explore beauty of Guizhou in cultural event

Photographers and designers gather around Joerdis Montgomery, a filmmaker from Berlin, Germany, as she operates a drone to capture aerial shots of a village in Libo county, Guizhou province, on Sept 12, 2024, during a five-day trip of 31 visual artists in Guizhou. KUANG LINHUA/CHINA DAILY

Visual artists from around the world have gathered in Guiyang, in Southwest China's Guizhou province, to explore its beauty.

The cultural event, titled Visual@China Guizhou 2024, kicked off on Wednesday, showcasing the province's unique charm through photography, illustration, design and film.

A total of 31 photographers, illustrators, designers and filmmakers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Peru, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Bhutan and China will be visiting three cities in Guizhou. They are exploring the beautiful landscapes, experiencing local culture and customs, visiting ancient villages inhabited by ethnic groups, and enjoying local cuisine during the five-day trip.

After visiting the 600-year-old Yunshantun village in Anshun, William Adlington, general manager of a media company in the UK, said he was impressed by the village's ancient houses and buildings, which are in the style of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Adlington showed great interest in the wood carvings and craftsmanship used in the ancient houses.

"The thing I always want to do is to see more rural villages in China, and this village is a good example of the countryside, with amazing and beautiful buildings. A very original and authentic village," he said.

Adlington has visited China many times, but he mostly has gone to big cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

Nestled in a mountainous region, Guizhou has constructed numerous impressive bridges to enhance its transportation network. The province is home to nearly half of the world's top 100 highest bridges, with several ranking among the top 10 globally.

One such marvel is the Baling River Bridge, which stands 370 meters above the river and is approximately 2,237 meters long. After an immersive walk through its internal structure, the visual artists found themselves awestruck by the engineering feat.

Unlike Adlington, most of the foreign artists are visiting China for the first time.

Richard Gavrich, a visual artist from the US who teaches photography in California, was very excited about his first visit to China. He took many photos during the trip and paid special attention to ordinary people he met in ancient villages.

"Everything in Guizhou is fresh for me. I did a little research on the internet about this province and was stunned by the photos of those giant bridges," said Gavrich, who was excited about taking photos of the structures.

James Gensheimer, another photographer from the US, expressed his astonishment at the development of cities in Guizhou province and said that the advanced bridges and technologies employed there were beyond his expectations.

"I knew little about China and nothing about Guizhou, but only by standing here, I feel that it's really different from what I learn from the media," said Gensheimer, who mainly focuses on portraits. He was also excited to use his lens to record people he met in Guizhou.

Chen Benrong, deputy director of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Guizhou Provincial Committee, said at a welcoming dinner on Tuesday that Guizhou has achieved remarkable accomplishments in various fields in recent years, particularly in big data, ecological environment, tourism and bridge construction. He said he hoped that artists from across the globe can show the beauty of Guizhou through their lenses, designs and illustrations.

Liu Weiling, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, which co-organized the activity with the Publicity Department of the CPC Guizhou Provincial Committee, said, "The event not only provides visual artists from China and abroad with an opportunity to deeply understand and experience Guizhou, but also establishes a platform for exchange and display between Guizhou and the world."

Lan Hongguang, chairman of the Photojournalist Society of China, said that the rapid development of Guizhou province and the significant changes that have taken place there are amazing. In the 1990s, he began documenting the region's stunning landscapes and the diverse ethnic groups living there.

"Visual arts, including photography and film, are among the best and most effective ways to showcase the beauty of this land to the world," he said.