An exhibition of 80 photographs of natural and cultural world heritage sites by Zhou Jiansheng opened at the Suzhou International Conference and Exhibition Center Saturday. Co-organized by the Chinese People's Foreign Friendship Association, China Culture and Art Development Promotion Committee, China Photographers Association and China Ancient Ruins Protection Society, the exhibition is one of the many peripheral activities to the ongoing 28th session of the World Heritage Committee.

A similar exhibition is being held concurrently at the National Gallery of China in Beijing.

"These photos can transcend the barriers of national border and language. I hope that more people around the world will treasure our world heritage and understand the importance of heritage protection," said Zhou.

One senior citizen who came to see the exhibition said, "There are many places I didn't know about before and I won't have a chance to visit them myself. So I can come here to see them. I was enchanted by these works. I think the photographer is excellent in his use of light, which makes these sites even more wonderful."

Many parents brought their children. "I know something about the heritage of China, but I don't know the world's," said one little girl. Her mother wants to give the daughter a wider view of the world. "It is extremely rare for Suzhou to hold an international-level conference like this one," she added.

A world heritage representative to the session found a site in his own country. "Look! This is Mont Saint-Michel, in France. I come from France!" he said pointing out the picture to the Chinese viewers around him. Mont Saint-Michel and its bay were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979.

Zhou first thought of photographing world heritage sites in 1988, while he was studying in Japan. One day he came across an enormous picture hanging on the wall of the Sony Building in Tokyo: It was the Aerial City of Peru, Machu Picchu. Zhou was stunned by it, and later found out it was an advertisement for world heritage.

But it wasn't until 1994 that Zhou could actually put into effect his ambitious plan to explore and photograph the world. During the next eight years he visited 77 countries, ranging across five continents. He traveled to the Arctic Circle in the north and to the Cape of Good Hope in the south. The distance he covered was equal to 30 circuits of the Earth.

When he began taking photos of the world heritage sites, there were only 420. As of July 2 this year, the figure has risen to 788, with five natural sites and 29 cultural sites newly listed during the first five days of the current committee session.

Now the world's heritage has become a symbol of Zhou's works. Xu Xiaobing, former chairman of the China Photographers Association, offered a letter of congratulation to Zhou on the publication of his album of the sites. Said Xu, "Many brilliant world heritage sites are found on land or offshore, places where most people rarely set foot, but Zhou has recorded them with unique insight."

Zhou Jiansheng was born in November 1950. He joined the China Photographers Association in 1980. In 1988, he went to study in Japan, majoring in photography, and acquired his master's degree in 1990. Zhou is now a special photographer for the PPS News Agency and World Culture Photo Service.

(China.org.cn by staff reporter Li Jinhui, July 4, 2004)