Foreigners' short videos capture beauty of rural China

Tourists view the scenery of Erhai Lake in Gusheng Village in Dali, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 14, 2020. (Photo by Chen Xinbo/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- More than 50 foreigners were on Wednesday awarded for their short videos demonstrating the landscape, culture and people's lives in rural China.

Nearly 400 Chinese and foreign guests attended the online awards ceremony and seminar for the global short video contest, with the main venue in Beijing and 32 branch venues across the country.

Through their lenses and the internet, the contestants vividly showed the international community -- especially the viewers of their own countries -- the beauty of the livable environment, traditional culture, green ecology, industrial prosperity and people's happy lives in the Chinese countryside, Lin Songtian, head of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said at the ceremony.

Organized by the association, the event "China in My Eyes -- Beautiful Countryside" was held from June to September this year. Foreign participants from over 40 countries submitted more than 360 short videos for the competition, drawing nearly 80 million views online. Among the videos, 40 won prizes of different levels.

"The contest aims to encourage our foreign friends in China to approach the Chinese countryside and people's lives, objectively demonstrating to the world the colorful and vibrant, beautiful rural China through videos and self-media, to enhance the understanding and friendship between Chinese and foreign people," Lin said.

Aleksei Andreev, who teaches at Hainan University in south China's Hainan Province, was born in a small village in northern Russia. Having visited many villages in China, he has found that the biggest difference between the villages and his hometown is the diversity of the Chinese culture.

"Each place, small town and village has its own unique culture, local food, traditions they pass throughout the generations. Many villages even have their own set of rules, sort of written law for their village. And that is truly fascinating," he said during an online seminar held following the awards ceremony. "That is something to keep in mind and something to be proud of."

His short video showing Liuke Village in Hainan, with its unique cultural and historical characteristics, won first prize.

Photo taken on March 19, 2019 shows a local residence in Liuke Village in Bo'ao Town, south China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

U.S. native Brian Linden shot his video in Xizhou, an ancient town in the city of Dali, southwest China's Yunnan Province, which he called "home."

The beautiful landscape, traditional architecture and local craftsmanship of the Bai ethnic group were recorded in his video.

"Here in Dali, people will slow down their pace, reconsider the relationship between nature and humans presented by the farming society, and think about a new lifestyle," he said in fluent Chinese.

Linden now runs a homestay establishment there, and has helped restore a traditional local residence.

"I am shocked and proud of China's 5,000 years of traditional culture, and I would sincerely hope more foreigners to know more about the Chinese culture, the Chinese land and the Chinese people," he said.