By Afra Jin/Hellosanya

On December 1st the 1st 2018 Hellosanya International Photography Contest successfully came to an end. This is the first time this event was held and it clearly demonstrated that it is a good beginning for promoting cultural international exchange and cooperation. This year the International Photography Contest attracted 30 professional photographers from 20 "Silk Road" countries and regions to Sanya. Shooting was held over 2 days and the photographers visited popular scenic spots in Sanya to find inspiration. In the end they provided us with a visual feast — more than 600 excellent photography art works. 

The Manager of Sanya OFIA Culture Media Co. Ltd, Mr. Yang Kun, the Director of the Office of the Publicity Department of the Sanya Municipal Committee Mr. Chen Weifeng, Vice Manager of Sanya Holiday International Travel Service Co. Ltd Mr. Max and Curator of Sanya Art Gallery Mr. Feng Futian all attended and presented speeches at the closing ceremony.

The closing ceremony consisted of 2 parts. The first part was the “International Photography Forum”. The main topic was «How photography serves the construction of a city better?». As representatives, four foreign photography experts took part in the discussion. They were Georgian photographer Tavdze Levan, French photographer Foucault Aurelien, Russian photographer Barayeva Marina and American photographer Charles Patrick Cooper JR. 

They gave a very thorough analysis on the difference between Chinese and foreign photography styles. Constructive suggestions were provided for the future development of the cultural industry. They discussed the importance of photography in the constriction of a city based on their professional experiences over many years. They all love China and sincerely want to make a contribution to the development of the Chinese cultural industry. 

The highlight of the whole event came during the second part— the Awards Ceremony. 21 photos that were submitted by each participant were given scores and 5 professional judges eventually selected 6 of the most excellent photographers to finish in first, second and third place respectively. 

In first place was Stokic Martin from Croatia, in second place were Kol Viacheslav from Bulgaria and Tatiana Pleskatsevich from Belarus and in third place were Marina Shirokih from Russia, Kreslavsky Gil from Israel, and Manyanga Stewart from Tanzania.

Sanya is China's only tropical coastal city. There is sunshine here, white sandy beaches and an abundance of natural scenery. 

People of the Li, Miao, Hui, Han and other ethnic minorities have settled here. Every year large numbers of foreign and Chinese tourists are attracted to Sanya. 

In 2017 the city received 18.3 million tourists overnight, including 17.6 million Chinese tourists and 700,000 foreign tourists, 3.8 percent of the total. The number of foreign tourists is undoubtedly still limited.

2018 is the 40th anniversary of the Implementation of the Reform and Open Policy in China and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Hainan Province. On April 13th, General Secretary CPC Xi Jinping announced the decision to establish the Hainan Experimental Free Trade Zone and Free Trade Port with Chinese characteristics. The reform and opening of Hainan marks a new beginning.

“In order to respond to the need for accelerated  development and opening up of Hainan to build it into an international center of tourism and consumption. We sent an invitation to 30 photographers from all over the world to take part in the 2018 Hellosanya International Photography Contest & Exhibition. I hope more people will get to know about Sanya and its beauty through your lenses. ” Yang Kun，Manager of Sanya OFIA Culture Media Co.Ltd.

Hello Sanya. Bye bye Sanya. See you Next year at Hellosanya International Photography Contest.

From December 1st to 7th The photography exhibition of 2018 Hellosanya International Photography Contest will be held at Gallery of Mangrove Tree Hotel.