'Olympics of photography' wraps up in Qingdao

The Silk Road Photographic Organization International Cooperation Summit is held on August 14 in Qingdao West Coast New Area. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]   

With upbeat and joyful music and performances, the Fifth International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) Photo Meeting came to an end on August 14 in Qingdao West Coast New Area of East China's Shandong province.

Known as the "Olympics of photography", the FIAP Photo Meeting is one of world photography's flagship events, and it was the first time to be held in China.

More than 400 people took part in the closing ceremony, including Yang Yuanxing, president of China Art Photography Society, Riccardo Busi, FIPA president, Zhu Peiji, vice-mayor of Qingdao, and Yu Fenggui, director general of Shandong Tourism Development Committee.

Before the closing meeting, the Silk Road Photographic Organization International Cooperation Summit was held, during which the Silk Road Photographic Organization International Alliance was unveiled, and the alliance's liaison office, a permanent exhibition center and a photography base was established in the Qingdao West Coast New Area.

From August 7 to 14, more than 300 well-known photographers from 42 countries and regions visited Shandong's eight cities and Qingdao was the last leg of the worldwide photographers' trip to Shandong.

During the week-long meeting, they took special tours with a combination of sightseeing, cultural experiences and photography activities.

The photographers went across Qingdao to record the city's coastal landscape, cityscape, folk customs and industrial development. They also experienced the ongoing Qingdao International Beer Festival, the Asian version of Oktoberfest, at the Golden Beach of West Coast New Area, the main venue of the beer festival.

"Qingdao is a really beautiful, progressive, cosmopolitan waterfront city and I love coming here," said Kurt Batschinski, a photographer from Austria.

Irmeli Kauppinen, a photographer from Andorra, spoke highly of the Qingdao International Beer Festival.

"The atmosphere here is amazing, and you can enjoy all sorts of beers from all over the world while watching exhilarating shows or just chatting with friends."

The 2017 FIAP Photo Meeting was supported by UNESCO China, and jointly hosted by the FIAP, Shandong Tourism Development Committee, Shandong Provincial Department of Culture, and the Shandong International Culture Exchange Center.