A Tale Told by an Idiot by Yi Lian, winner of the Discovery Award at the 2019 Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The 2019 Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival ended in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, on Jan 5, according to local media reports.
The festival, which started on Nov 22, attracted more than 70,000 visitors from across China and featured 30 exhibitions.
These exhibitions showcased more than 2,200 photographs by 55 artists from China, including Taiwan, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece, Italy, Sweden, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Sri Lanka, the Unites States and India.
During the last week of the festival, the organizers extended the opening hours at Jimei Citizen Square Exhibition Hall to 8:30 pm to enable more people to see the exhibitions.
Every year, Jimei x Arles focuses on the photographic scene of an Asian country. After South Korea (2018) and Indonesia (2017), this year Jimei x Arles invited India, with exhibitions curated by Indian photography specialists and produced in partnership with the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts in New Delhi and the Museum of Art & Photography in Bangalore.
Notably, the two heavyweight awards at the 2019 Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival – the Discovery Award and the Women Photographers Award –went to Yi Lian and Luo Yang, meaning they have been invited to attend the Les Rencontres d'Arles in France in 2020.
The 2019 event marks the fifth time the French photo festival, equivalent to the Cannes International Film Festival in the photography world, to join hands with Jimei district in Xiamen, with a view to offering a chance for photography buffs to enjoy works from across the globe.
Chen Nienying & Ho Tingshao by Luo Yang, winner of the Women Photographers Award at the 2019 Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
