As the first ray of the sun shines in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 23 December, Roodepoort residents Queen Ramakhele and Blessing Mgwenya head to the Sunninghill Office Park. After a one-and-a-half-hours’ drive, they join more than 100 visitors who are already there to watch the “Colourful China, Cultural Xizang” International Photo Tour Exhibition, which is being held in the park. 

Visitors in Johannesburg watch photos at the exhibition (Ni Yanshuo) 

“I learned about China’s Xizang from media reports and also read some books about this region. When I heard about this tour exhibition here in Johannesburg, I decided to come and have a close look at Xizang,” said Ramakhele. “I can see from these photos that Xizang is really a nice place and people there are living in peace and enjoying a happy life, which is quite different from what I read in Western media.” 

Johannesburg is the third leg of the “Colourful China, Cultural Xizang” International Photo Tour Exhibition, with the first being Singapore and the second Malaysia, which were launched on 9 December and 13 December, respectively. After the Johannesburg stop, the tour exhibition will be held in Egypt. 

A visitor watches a scenery photo of Xizang at the exhibition (Ni Yanshuo) 

“This is really nice. I can personally see the landscape and cultural beauty of Xizang. From the photos featuring green energy development, I can tell that Xizang is making a contribution to dealing with climate change while maintaining development.” 

This exhibition is jointly held by China International Communications Group Centre for Europe and Africa and Xizang International Communication Centre under the guidance of China International Communications Group and the Information Office of the Xizang Autonomous Region. More than 30 photos at the exhibition showcase Xizang’s remarkable achievements in economic growth, green energy development, livelihood improvement and the protection of cultural heritage. 

Queen Ramakhele (fourth left) listens to introduction of photos of Xizang (Ni Yanshuo)