Pingyao International Photography Festival will open soon

Pingyao Photography Festival as seen from a courtyard, in the ancient city, in Shanxi province. [Photo/pip919.com]

Exhibition hall that uses a derelict diesel engine factory, in Pingyao, Shanxi province. [Photo/pip919.com]

This year's Pingyao International Photography Festival, which opens on Sept 19, in the old city of Pingyao, Shanxi province, will be arranged by the China Photographers Association and will have special guides, a national photography fund, an exhibition in old industrial buildings with photos from previous festivals, and a contest to attract more photographers to examine Pingyao through their lenses to promote tourism.

The festival, which was established in 2001, will collect photographs under many themes, from natural landscape to people to life in Pingyao. As its official website introduces, it has a variety of academic workshops for greater communication with photographers around the world.

In Pingyao, people can see the historical process of China's cultural, social, economic and religious development, and is waiting for photographers to discover its unique beauty.

The International Festivals & Events Association ranks the festival among the Top 10 influential art events in China and it has grown into a grand ceremony for contemporary photographers from around the world.