[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Opening Weekend of 2019 Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival from Nov 22-25 welcomes photography lovers with a range of events and activities: exhibition tours guided by artists and curators, book signings, seminars, workshops, and cultural performances.

Taking place in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, this year's program presents 30 exhibitions and 55 artists from China, including Taiwan, France, the UK, Ireland, Greece, Italy, Sweden, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Sri Lanka, the US and India.

The festival also promotes Chinese talents on an international scale, with its Discovery Award presented in Arles every year. This year the event will also hold Jimei x Arles Women Photographers Award, the first-ever photo award in China dedicated to women photographers.

[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2019 event marks the fifth time for the Les Rencontres d'Arles in France, equivalent to the Cannes International Film Festival in the photography world, to join hands with Jimei district in Xiamen, with a view to offering a golden chance for photography buffs to enjoy works from across the globe.

Local authorities said the photography festival is a significant vehicle for Sino-France cultural exchanges, and it offers an excellent opportunity for the Jimei district, a residential and business area in the city that promotes a high-quality lifestyle and is an integral part of Xiamen's position as a "scenic and culturally profound city".

They also said the four earlier sessions of the Jimei Arles International Photography Festival were of great significance for the district to demonstrate its cultural appeal and promote its urban cultural industries.

Cocreated by Chinese pioneer photographer Rong Rong, founder of China's first photography museum Three Shadows Photography Art Centre and Sam Stourdzé, director of Rencontres d'Arles (France), Jimei x Arles has become a must-see event for photo lovers in China, and attracted more than 230,000 visitors in the previous years (70,000 in 2018).