BEIJING, Feb. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This is a report from China.org.cn:

When a beam of light travels through Yixian county for 20 years, what does it illuminate?

It lights up moments captured by Associated Press contract photographer Dan Sandoval in Xidi village: beneath a clear, star-filled night sky, the steady calls of a night watchman blend with the ancient rhythms of Changning shegu drums, echoing traditions that have endured for centuries. It also shines on the laughter rising from a small pizzeria in Hongcun village run by the Austrian businessman Armin Schober and his family, where Eastern and Western flavors blend as naturally as cultures do.

That same light takes shape in “Myself and the World,” a travel photography series by Chinese photographer Luo Xiaoyun, created during her fourth visit to Xidi and displayed against its iconic whitewashed walls. And it finally rests on Alina, Armin’s daughter—born and raised in Yixian, a true “new local”—her face bright with energy as she practices martial arts.

Its white walls and black tiles form a beautiful backdrop, but its true vitality comes from people. Through the lives, creativity, and encounters of individuals like Dan, Armin, and Luo Xiaoyun, Yixian has grown into what many call an “international gathering place” of rural China—a place where the world feels at home.

This global spirit is real and personal. It’s Dan smiling and saying “Amazing” after tasting a traditional Spring Festival pork feast. It’s Armin’s homestay and pizzeria becoming a welcoming stop for travelers and storytellers from around the world. It’s Luo Xiaoyun returning again and again, following major photography exhibitions co-organized by China Photo Press and Yixian, each visit deepening her visual dialogue with the land. Over time, the photography exhibition itself has become a bridge—bringing photographers together in unexpected places, like a small village pizzeria, where conversations stretch across continents and cultures.

Photography is both witness and translator here. It turns personal moments, family stories, and artistic exploration into a shared visual language—one that anyone, anywhere, can understand.

That spirit is captured in this year’s Yixian Rural Photography Exhibition, co-hosted by China Photo Press and partner institutions, under the theme “Ring in the New Year with Light and Shadow in Yixian.” We invite photographers and storytellers from around the world to join this 20-year visual journey: to see landscapes and traditions that endure, and to discover how this beautiful county has become a vivid, human-scale reflection of a shared global future—a living, breathing international gathering place.

Yixian, Huangshan, China — the story is still unfolding.

Images over two decades: From Yixian to the world
http://www.china.org.cn/2026-02/06/content_118320763.shtml