Showcasing the Splendor of the Asian Games through the Lens: “Myriad Mountains and Seas” Photography Exhibition Debuts in Hamburg, Germany
The “Youth and the Sea, Asian Games in Xiangshan” image exhibition, showcasing the charm of the Ningbo Xiangshan competition area of the Hangzhou Asian Games, is currently being held at the Hamburg campus of Zhejiang Wanli University in Germany. Through the lens, it highlights the splendor of the Asian Games, attracting Chinese students studying in Germany and the attention of the German public.
Image Exhibition Scene. Photo by Shentu Ge
Xiangshan, located on the coast of the East China Sea, surrounded by the sea on three sides with two harbors embracing it, is renowned as the “Eternal Island of the East and the Fairyland of Sea and Mountains.” This coastal city, growing along the 30th parallel north, boasts a coastline length of 988 kilometers, ranking first in Zhejiang Province. It features the natural scenery of myriad mountains and seas, the folk customs of a thousand-year fishing village, the sports fashion of a hundred-mile silver beach, the delicious seafood flavors, and the cinematic glamour of Fishermen’s Light. These elements form four distinctive coastal scenes: the “Fashionable East Coast,” “Hidden Tide West Coast,” “Colorful West Shanghai Port,” and “Charming Shipu Port.”
With abundant marine resources and careful protection of marine ecology, Ningbo Xiangshan became the venue for sailing and beach volleyball events during the Hangzhou Asian Games, making it one of the five co-host cities. Sixteen gold medals were awarded here.
People observing the exhibition. Photo by Shentu Ge
During the competition, photographers from around the world came to Xiangshan, capturing the beauty of sports, mountains and seas, and humanity inside and outside the arena with their cameras. According to the Xiangshan County Government Information Office in Ningbo, Xiangshan is currently promoting the “Most Beautiful Coastline at 30 Degrees North Latitude” global tourism IP, vigorously promoting the rapid development of the marine economy, and telling more stories of “youth and the sea” around the development goal of “a city more friendly to youth, and youth more promising in the city.”
To further expand the overseas “circle of friends” and introduce “Myriad Mountains and Seas” to the world, the organizers selected more than 70 outstanding works from the above-mentioned pieces, planning the “Youth and the Sea, Asian Games in Xiangshan” image exhibition.
The splendid exhibition works form an artistic feast weaving together sports, culture, and the interplay of light and shadow, becoming an excellent window to showcase Xiangshan. It allows people at home and abroad to understand, recognize, and get closer to the “Most Beautiful Coastline at 30 Degrees North Latitude.” Taking Xiangshan as an example, it displays a real, three-dimensional, and comprehensive image of China.
For example, the photos of the Hangzhou Asian Games women’s beach volleyball event taken by Xiangshan-born photographer Zhou Ke, through his lens, not only tell the story of the Chinese women’s beach volleyball team realizing their dream of six consecutive championships but also showcase the hardcore strength of the venue behind the event and the details of the “sea-flavor” culture.
Attendees taking a group photo at the exhibition venue. Photo by Shentu Ge
Hans, professor of the Germany Brand University of Applied Sciences, said, “In the captured moments of activity from different perspectives, I can feel the magnificent and colorful ocean, as well as the heroic and vigorous figure of the athletes on the sea. Their brave and tenacious figures have left a deep impression on me. I have not been to China or Xiangshan, but when I see these beautiful seas and the powerful sports, it makes me look forward to one day experiencing the charm of youth and the sea in Xiangshan, China.”
As the first overseas campus of a university in Zhejiang Province, the Hamburg campus of Zhejiang Wanli University serves as a window for education to go abroad, shouldering the responsibility of telling the story of China and spreading Chinese culture.
Cai Yan, director of the Overseas Campus Management Office of Zhejiang Wanli University, stated, “This year, the Asian Games in the beautiful coastal city of Ningbo Xiangshan left behind many exciting moments on the sports field. Now, these exciting moments have been brought to our Hamburg campus in the form of images, not only showcasing the coastal scenery of Xiangshan as the city of the Asian Games and the charm of Ningbo but also using images to build a friendship bridge for cultural exchanges between China and Germany, bringing the two countries’ people closer.”
Photography is a universal silent language. The organizers stated that using the lens as a medium can more intuitively and vividly tell the story of China. With this image exhibition as a link, they hope to build a bridge for cultural exchanges between China and Germany, depicting a new image of “Myriad Mountains and Seas.”
It is reported that this image exhibition is jointly organized by the Information Office of Xiangshan County Government, the Asian Games Office of Xiangshan County, the News Development Center of China News Agency Zhejiang Branch, and the Hamburg campus of Zhejiang Wanli University, with the specific exhibition time from December 12, 2023, to January 12, 2024. (By Lin Bo)