Video contest ends, love for Beijing continues

BEIJING, May 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China Daily:

When she first came to Beijing to study in the University of International Business and Economics in 2020, Ko Eul Hyang, from the Republic of Korea, felt it was just a metropolis with tall buildings and crowds of people, something not that different from metropolises all over the world.

After four years of travelling to every corner of the city, from the Shicha Lake in the center to Gubei Water Town in the north, she has become enamored of the warmth of Beijing residents and the time-honored sites of the city. Wanting to share her feelings, she submitted a video showing scenes from her daily life to the fourth "100 Reasons to Love Beijing" short-video contest that concluded on May 23.

The contest, organized by the Information Office of Beijing Municipality and hosted by China Daily, was open to global participants to share their love for the city and tell their stories about it.

With the entry period launched in September 2023 and open until the end of December, almost 2,000 short videos were submitted, among which 100 were recognized as exemplary, with 20 ultimately chosen as award winners. In addition, this year's competition debuted a comic illustration category, which received a total of 360 comic illustrations drawn by foreigners, resulting in 10 individual awards.

Victor Gouretski, a distinguished researcher at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences who comes from Germany, has also felt the friendliness of Beijing people as he always meets people waving to him and saying "welcome" in the street. As one of the thousands of foreign scientists working in Beijing, Gouretski has benefited greatly from the favorable work environment he enjoys, including research facilities and strong policy support. He believes that Beijing, as a technological innovation center, will definitely achieve more breakthrough scientific research results.

Michael Rhys Card from the United Kingdom likes to take photos of the Beijing hutongs. "Beijing has a kind of balance because there is the Central Business District with a fast-paced life," he said, "but you can go to a hutong and it's almost like you are in a different city."

Balanced, metropolitan and multifaceted are the key words the three have chosen to define Beijing and all three are recording their life in the city not only on video but also in their hearts.