Photo exhibition on Many-Splendored Life in Yunnan unveiled in Vietnam

On the cusp of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese people, the "Harmony under the Same Moon" Photo Exhibition on A Many-Splendored Life in Yunnan was launched on the website of the China Cultural Center in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday.

The exhibition features 50 excellent photos presenting the natural landscape, history and culture, latest developments, and World Heritage sites of Yunnan, with the aim to strengthen mutual understanding between Chinese and Vietnamese people and promote dialogue, exchanges, and mutual learning between civilizations.

Hosted by the Information Office and the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Yunnan Province, the 2024 "Blooming Flowers and Full Moon" Mid-Autumn Festival Cultural Exchange is taking place in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam, from September 15 to 19. As part of the event, the "Harmony under the Same Moon" Photo Exhibition on A Many-Splendored Life in Yunnan will not only be presented online but also be staged offline in Meliá Hanoi Hotel on September 18.

The exhibition consists of five parts, namely, Colorful Yunnan, Diverse Cultures, Harmonious Development, Blooming Flowers and Full Moon, and Charming World Heritage, presenting a wide variety of Yunnan elements such as the splendid "Mountain Bathed Under Golden Sun" on Meili Snow Mountain, the majestic Tiger Leaping Gorge, and rare species such as the adorable Yunnan snub-nosed monkey and green peafowl. Some photos capture the colorful and lively ethnic festivals such as the folk costume competition festival of Yi people, the water-splashing festival of the Dai ethnic group, and the Tibetan horse racing festival, and some other photos showcase the unique charm of Yunnan's World Heritage sites like the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces and the Three Parallel Rivers.

Revolving around the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese people, the photo exhibition includes a dedicated part themed "Blooming Flowers and Full Moon," which features various photos capturing the full moon over a corner tower of the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Great Wall bathed in moonlight, the moon's reflection in Dianchi Lake, and the bright moon over Daguan Pavilion. These poetic scenes echo the theme of the exhibition – "Harmony under the Same Moon." 

Located in the southwestern corner of China, Yunnan Province is connected by mountains and waters with Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar, which enjoy cultural proximity. Yunnan has been known for its openness and inclusiveness since ancient times. Yunnan's unique geographical patterns has endowed it with magnificent natural landscapes such as Mount Kawagarbo, the Nujiang Grand Canyon, and the Chanshan Mountain and Erhai Lake. Yunnan has 26 indigenous ethnic groups, each with their distinctive ethnic culture. In 2023, the province proposed the concept "A Many-Splendored Life in Yunnan," committed to jointly creating a happy life for local people and tourists alike and making itself a popular destination for global tourists.

"The Meili Snow Mountain, Dounan Flower Market, Daguan Pavilion, and ethnic cultures of Yunnan featured in the photos are all familiar and beloved to me," said Bui Thi Tuyen from Vietnam, who is studying at the School of Journalism, Yunnan University. In her leisure time, she teaches Chinese netizens the Vietnamese language on social media and takes Vietnamese people to buy flowers in Dounan Flower Market in Kunming, promoting people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. "This photo exhibition gives Vietnamese people a more intuitive feel of Yunnan's beautiful scenery and diverse cultures. I believe it will attract more Vietnamese visitors to the province to experience ‘A Many-Splendored Life in Yunnan’," she added.

Thanks to direct flights, visa facilitation, and other favorable policies, Yunnan has received a high number of Vietnamese tourists since the beginning of the year. Hekou Port in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, the largest land port of entry in Yunnan on the China-Vietnam border, saw 3,835 group tourist arrivals on August 31, 2024, setting a new record for single-day group tourist arrivals. Meanwhile, the famous tourist town of Sapa in Vietnam is teeming with Chinese visitors, who can get there by bus after arriving in Lao Cai via Hekou Port. Cross-border tourism for people from the two countries is burgeoning.

"Vietnam also has terraced fields and golden monkeys, sharing many similarities with Yunnan," noted Nguyen Thi Mai, who lives in Hanoi. She showed great interest in this photo exhibition, saying "I have been longing to visit Dali and Lijiang in Yunnan, and these photos give me a taste of them." In addition to appreciating the photos online, she is planning to bring her kids to the offline exhibition on September 18. "I look forward to taking my family on a tour to Yunnan and explore it in depth," she said.