Guests and award winners pose for a group photo at the awards ceremony of the "Colorful China through the Lens -- China in the Eyes of Japanese Photography Competition", which was held at the Chinese Embassy in Japan, April 15, 2025. (People's Daily Online/Yu Qian)

Guests attend the awards ceremony of the "Colorful China through the Lens -- China in the Eyes of Japanese Photography Competition" at the Chinese Embassy in Japan, April 15, 2025. (People's Daily Online/Xu Ke)

The awards ceremony of the fourth "Colorful China through the Lens -- China in the Eyes of Japanese Photography Competition" was held at the Chinese Embassy in Japan on the afternoon of April 15, 2025.

The event brought together more than 150 friendly personages from China and Japan, such as Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Zhao Qiang, editor-in-chief of People's Daily Online, and Wang Jiaxun, president of the China Enterprises Association (Japan).

Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao delivers a speech at the awards ceremony of the "Colorful China through the Lens -- China in the Eyes of Japanese Photography Competition", which was held at the Chinese Embassy in Japan, April 15, 2025. (People's Daily Online/Yu Qian)

In his remarks, Wu said the competition serves as an important platform for Japanese people to share their impressions of China. He noted that the entries reflect the Chinese people's pursuit of a better life and capture the dynamic progress of Chinese modernization.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama delivers a speech at the awards ceremony of the "Colorful China through the Lens -- China in the Eyes of Japanese Photography Competition", which was held at the Chinese Embassy in Japan, April 15, 2025. (People's Daily Online/Jiang Xiaochen)

Hatoyama emphasized in his speech the irreplaceable role of people-to-people exchanges in advancing friendly China-Japan relations. He expressed hope that the photography competition would continue to grow and serve as a platform for deepening mutual trust between the two peoples.

Wang Jiaxun, president of China Enterprises Association (Japan), delivers a speech at the awards ceremony of the "Colorful China through the Lens -- China in the Eyes of Japanese Photography Competition", which was held at the Chinese Embassy in Japan, April 15, 2025. (People's Daily Online/Jiang Xiaochen)

Wang noted that the entries authentically captured China's natural landscapes, city development, and daily life from the perspective of ordinary Japanese citizens, offering a vivid testament to the growing cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Yusuke Hiyane, the Grand Prize winner of the event, expressed his passion for sharing China's diverse charm on social media. He said that his past travels in China inspired a desire to fill the gap in tourism information about China in Japan.

This competition has strengthened his resolve to continue exploring and documenting China, he said.

Li Ge, president of the China Photographers Association, sends a congratulatory video message to the awards ceremony of the "Colorful China through the Lens -- China in the Eyes of Japanese Photography Competition", which was held at the Chinese Embassy in Japan, April 15, 2025. (Screenshot)

Li Ge, president of the China Photographers Association, sent a congratulatory video message to the competition, fully recognizing the event's positive role in deepening people-to-people friendship between China and Japan and enhancing mutual understanding and affinity between the two peoples.

Zhao expressed hope that more Japanese people would visit China to witness its beauty and development firsthand and take part in the competition to contribute to friendly exchanges between the two countries through the art of photography.

Launched at the initiative of the Chinese Embassy in Japan in 2016, the photography competition has received over 3,000 submissions from Japanese photographers across four editions.

Takakazu Ando, vice president of Japan-China Friendship Association, delivers a speech at the awards ceremony of the "Colorful China through the Lens -- China in the Eyes of Japanese Photography Competition", which was held at the Chinese Embassy in Japan, April 15, 2025. (People's Daily Online/Jiang Xiaochen)

The fourth edition opened in mid-March, with expert reviews conducted by Chinese and Japanese photography professionals. Seven works were ultimately selected as winners of the event, which also offered special honors such as the "Air China Award" and the "People's Daily Online Award."

This year's event was jointly hosted by Air China's regional headquarters for Japan and South Korea and People's Daily Online Japan Co., Ltd., with support from the Chinese Embassy in Japan, the Chinese Enterprises Association (Japan), and various China-Japan friendship organizations.

Mitsuko Watanabe, granddaughter of former Japanese Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira, delivers a speech at the awards ceremony of the "Colorful China through the Lens -- China in the Eyes of Japanese Photography Competition", which was held at the Chinese Embassy in Japan, April 15, 2025. (People's Daily Online/Jiang Xiaochen)

Guests take the stage to officially launch the call for submissions for the next edition of the "Colorful China through the Lens -- China in the Eyes of Japanese Photography Competition", which was launched at the initiative of the Chinese Embassy in Japan, April 15, 2025. (People's Daily Online/Yu Qian)

Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao (right), views winning entries of the "Colorful China through the Lens -- China in the Eyes of Japanese Photography Competition" at the Chinese Embassy in Japan, April 15, 2025. (People's Daily Online/Xu Ke)

Guests view the winning works on display at the awards ceremony of the "Colorful China through the Lens -- China in the Eyes of Japanese Photography Competition", which was held at the Chinese Embassy in Japan, April 15, 2025. (People's Daily Online/Jiang Xiaochen)