Beautiful China, Beautiful Britain:
Common People Along the Yellow River

Beautiful China, Beautiful Britain: Common People Along the Yellow River was arts event and exhibition taking place over four days in London in June 2024, highlighting the cultures along the Yellow River and the Thames, thematically linking these two iconic rivers in China and the United Kingdom.

It celebrated the rich history and cultural exchanges between the two countries with an exhibition of 400 photographs by over 100 photographers, along with paintings, calligraphy, seal carving demonstrations and outdoor activities.

The event was jointly organised by the UK-China Photography Association and UK-China Film Collab. Essex Cultural Diversity Project was honoured to be part of the Advisory Board for the exhibition along with one of the organisers at Colchester Chinese Culture Society.

Leading the photographic exhibition was Zhu Xianmin, a Chinese photographer. Zhu emphasized the symbolic significance of the Yellow River to the Chinese nation and people and expressed excitement at seeing photographs of the “mother river” displayed in the UK.

Zhu said that documenting and showcasing the changes in the lives of the people living along the Yellow River over the past several decades helps younger generations in China learn their history and offers people in the UK a glimpse of China’s development, especially since the reform and opening up.

“The works that we see around here are absolutely extraordinary,” Baron Steven von Kohorn said during the event’s opening ceremony. He noted that the event is not just about “two rivers,” there is a third symbolic “river” that joins the spirits of two great nations into one. “China and Britain are both beautiful in such different ways,” he said.

As part of the event, guests participated in a walk exploring natural and cultural heritage sites in England, including the Thames River, Hadrian’s Wall, and the canals in London.