China Greece Partnership Marked With Photography Competition Celebrating Two Decades of Strategic Ties
by Bill Giannopoulos · Greek City TimesStay connected to Greek City Times for Free on Google News
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Greece and China have marked the 20th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership with a photography competition showcasing Greece through the eyes of Chinese visitors.
The Greek Embassy in Beijing hosted an awards ceremony for the competition, titled “Greece Through China’s Lens”, bringing together Greek and Chinese officials, photographers and competition finalists.
Greek Ambassador to China Evgenios Kalpyris and Chang Jian, Deputy Director General of the Department of European Affairs at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, addressed the ceremony, highlighting the role of cultural exchange in strengthening relations between the two countries.
Greece and China celebrate 20 years of partnership
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Kalpyris highlighted the long history of contact between the Greek and Chinese civilisations and the importance of the 20th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership.
“Let us seize this important milestone of the 20th anniversary to achieve even more fruitful results,” Kalpyris said, while thanking those who participated in the photography competition.
He described the photographs submitted by Chinese participants as expressions of artistic vision and personal connection with Greece.
“You serve as genuine bridges of friendship that link our two countries,” he said.
Photography becomes a bridge between cultures
Chang Jian said photography can help create emotional connections and greater mutual understanding between Chinese and Greek people.
He pointed to mutually beneficial cooperation and cultural exchanges as important pillars of China Greece relations.
With photography now easier and more accessible than ever, Chang said images can carry particular value because they communicate not only technical skill and composition, but also personal experiences, ideas and emotions.
He said the competition offered an opportunity for Chinese participants to view Greece through their own experiences, while encouraging a broader exchange of perspectives between the two countries.
Chang also highlighted what he described as shared values between the two peoples, including a passion for life, respect for nature and the importance placed on people.
“We see how much more we have to contribute and complete each other,” he said.
Chinese photographers capture Greece
The Greek Embassy invited Chinese nationals to photograph their experiences of Greece, with entries covering the country’s landscapes, people, culture and contemporary life.
The online competition attracted hundreds of submissions from across China.
A jury subsequently selected 50 finalists, with five awards presented at the ceremony.
The event brought together the finalists and winners, representatives from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Greek and Chinese photographers and other guests.
One of the awarded photographers, Chen Yuhao, told the Global Times that his photograph was taken during a visit to a lesser known museum in Greece.
He said he hopes to return to Europe and visit Greece again in the future.
Greek ambassador praises the “Greek light”
Kalpyris also reflected on the photographs displayed through the competition, highlighting what he described as the clarity, purity and distinctive quality of Greek light.
The ambassador linked these aesthetic characteristics with Greece’s broader cultural identity, describing the country as a land associated with reason and moderation.
For Kalpyris, these qualities can also contribute to the foundations of trust between people and nations.
“Because of these characteristics, we have the foundation for sincerity. It is the necessary foundation to build trust,” he said.
He added that the ceremony itself demonstrated the warm atmosphere created when Greek and Chinese people come together.
The photography competition forms part of events marking two decades of the China Greece comprehensive strategic partnership, while highlighting the role of cultural exchange in maintaining connections between the two countries.
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