Explore the Cultural Heritage Photo Exhibition

The Asian Universities Alliance (AUA) Splendor of Asian Cultural Heritage Photo Exhibition is being held at the New Era Civilization Practice Center in Xiangmi Park, Futian District until Oct. 18. The traveling exhibition will be hosted at its second venue, the Xiangmihu Flower Wonderland in the park, from Oct. 20 to Nov. 16. It is open to the public for free.

The opening ceremony for the photo exhibition took place Sept. 26 at the park's New Era Civilization Practice Center. Sun Huaizhong, deputy director of the Shenzhen Foreign Affairs Office, and other distinguished guests from municipal and district government offices attended the event. Wu Xiaofeng, the Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS) CPC Committee Secretary, and Zhang Chuanjie, secretary of the AUA and associate dean of Tsinghua SIGS, also attended the ceremony along with faculty, staff, and students from Tsinghua SIGS.

The photo exhibition includes a collection of 100 exceptional photos selected from the AUA Splendor of Asian Cultural Heritage Photo Contest, which was hosted by AUA and organized by Tsinghua SIGS earlier this year. It was also a part of the events for the 2023 Shenzhen Design Week. Nearly 100 students from all 15 AUA member universities submitted over 300 photographs. Among the submitted photos, 12 prize-winning and six honorably mentioned photographs were chosen by a panel of experts.

To share with the world the splendor of Asia’s cultural heritage as well as each country’s efforts to promote and protect it, AUA and Tsinghua SIGS cooperated with the Shenzhen Foundation for International Exchange and Cooperation, the Xiangmihu Subdistrict Office, and the Xiangmihu Subdistrict New Era Civilization Practice Institute to organize the photo exhibition.

In his remarks at the event, Zhang Chuanjie, secretary of AUA and associate dean of Tsinghua SIGS, introduced the background of AUA and its importance to Tsinghua’s global strategy. He expressed his hope that events of this kind will give young scholars the opportunity to exchange ideas about the common challenges faced by Asian countries and help them to reflect on a multicultural and harmonious path forward. 

Wu Xiaofeng, Tsinghua SIGS CPC Committee Secretary, expressed the school’s hope that events like the photo contest and the photo exhibition will promote understanding and experiences of diverse cultures amongst students in Asia and around the world, provide a platform for cultural exchange, and help cultivate more outstanding youths with a global perspective and care for humankind. He also thanked the Shenzhen Foreign Affairs Office, the Publicity Department of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, the Shenzhen Foundation for International Exchange and Cooperation, and the Xiangmihu Subdistrict Office for their support. 

In his speech, Sun Huaizhong, deputy director of the Shenzhen Foreign Affairs Office, thanked Tsinghua SIGS for bringing the exhibition to Shenzhen. According to Sun, the exhibition is not only an international cultural exchange platform but also an important force in promoting symbiosis and mutual learning among Asian civilizations. He also expressed his hope that this exhibition can demonstrate Shenzhen's inclusiveness and creativity to more people and contribute to China's participation in fostering a community with a shared future for both Asia and all humanity. 

After the speeches, Zheng Kaiyuan, a master’s student at Tsinghua SIGS and one of the first-prize winners of the photo contest, offered his reflections on photography and cultural heritage via a pre-recorded video.

The Asian Universities Alliance, first proposed by Tsinghua University, was co-founded in Beijing on April 29, 2017 by 15 higher education institutions from 14 countries and regions across Asia. The Splendor of Asian Cultural Heritage Photo Contest and Exhibition are part of the AUA Embracing Asian Diversity Photo Contest Series, an important annual cross-cultural communication event for Tsinghua SIGS.