Xia Tianze, a middle school boy from Taiyuan, Shanxi province, recently won first place in the 2019 Silk Road Youth International Photography Competition. He was the only participant from Shanxi to win an award. 

It took Xia two years to finish his photo series entitled China Power, which consists of photos taken along railways throughout Taiyuan. Through 12 photos, the series showcases the rapid development of transportation infrastructure in contemporary China. 

The Silk Road Youth International Photography Competition encourages youth from around the world to record and promote the Belt and Road Initiative. The goal of the competition is to strengthen young people's understanding of countries involved in the initiative. 

The theme of this year's competition was "my home", and it received 264,568 submissions from 97,085 participants from 56 countries between April and August. The selection process lasted from Aug 19 to 20 and was carried out by the competition's working committee.