Photography festival opens in Pingyao

The 13th China Pingyao International Photography Festival opened on Thursday in Pingyao, an ancient city in North China's Shanxi Province.

The event attracted more than 1,600 professional and amateur photographers from 32 countries and regions, who present over 12, 000 photos of various styles and genres.

With a theme of "Life in photography", this year's event involves diverse activities, ranging from photography exhibitions to awarding ceremonies for excellent photos and books, to forums, summits and academic activities like photography trainings.

The festival, launched in 2001, features exhibitions displaying how photography is merging into people's daily life and thus influencing almost everybody.

Several internationally renowned photographers attended the ongoing event, such as Roger Ballen from South Africa and Drew Gardner from London.