Suzhou comes alive in DC

Visitors view Steve Zhao's photo exhibition China Story – Suzhou Poetic Lifestyle, on Tuesday at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington. The show was part of the 2016 China-US Tourism Year. Photos by Yuan Yuan / For China Daily

Nearly 20 years after Steve Zhao first embarked on his mission to tell the story of China to a large audience through photos, he brought his collection of Suzhou shots to Washington to mark the end of the 2016 China-US Tourism Year.

"I have long been thinking about how to do a photo exhibition representing China to international audiences," Zhao said.

The only Asian photographer in Nikon's "Grand Total" top ten global photographers and official photographer of the China National Tourism Administration, Zhao's journey behind the lens began after he relocated to New York in 1987 and discovered a true passion for taking pictures.

Inspired by the multiculturalism he encountered in New York, he decided to create an understanding between people from different communities through his images. In 1996, he traveled back to Beijing and started his "China Story" project.

For his current exhibition in Washington, he chose photos of Suzhou, a major city in Jiangsu province known for its canals, bridges and classical gardens.

"On the one hand, the Western world is generally interested in the Suzhou gardens and Chinese traditional culture. For example, there is a Suzhou garden in New York's Metropolitan Museum," he said.

"On the other hand, Suzhou is a poetic and unique city with some well-preserved historical sites and traditional customs," he said.

The collection of 60 photographs, titled "China Story — Suzhou Poetic Lifestyle", ran from Nov 30 to Dec 7 and covered a variety of subjects including the city's gardens, museums, canals, food, Kun Opera, and most importantly, its people.

Born in a city near Suzhou — and raised by a mother from Suzhou — there is a deep emotional attachment between Zhao and Suzhou.

For Wu Muhe, a Vietnamese-Chinese US citizen who spent his lunch break viewing the exhibit, the photos of the city's waterways also reminded him of his hometown in southern China.

Having travelled back to China many times, he said he was interested in the local conditions and customs of different parts of China and wanted to spend more time in China after he retires.

For Zhao, telling China's story to the world through photographs has never been easy.

"Western photographers and artists have their interpretations of China and Chinese culture while Chinese artists want to present their own culture in their own ways," he said.

Over the years, he has struggled to find a "third path." Eventually he found his way using Western photographic techniques and realistic concepts to depict aspects of Chinese culture and society.

"Cultural communication and cultural exchange are crucial in today's world, and China Story itself promotes understanding and trust between China and other countries to eventually create a harmonious and better world," Zhao said.

William and Kathleen Hurley came across this exhibition by chance. "We are particularly interested because we spent two weeks in China earlier this year. We very much enjoyed what we saw, and we took pictures too," he said.

Conor Politz, who works in the building, also dropped in. "It's meditative to walk around," Politz said, adding that he had never been to China, but after seeing the photographs he'd love to go.

"This presents an introduction to the city, and it makes me want to understand more," he said. "It's very dreamlike and enchanting, but I wonder how does that beauty exist in their day-to-day lives."

Yuan Yuan in Washington contributed to the story.