Photography Exhibition on Xinjiang Opens in Beijing
　　A photography exhibition highlighting the lives of people from all ethnic groups in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region opened in Beijing on March 22.
　　More than 100 photographs encapsulating aspects of ethnic solidarity， natural landscape， poverty alleviation， and cultural advancement are on display. The images depict the great changes that have taken place in the region and the people’s lives.
　　The images were selected from the works of nearly 20 photographers who visited Xinjiang on an artistic odyssey in September last year.
　　The exhibition is jointly sponsored by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Photographers Association.


　　Ukraine Concludes International Conference on Chinese Musical Culture
　　Ukraine’s first international conference on Chinese musical culture concluded on March 31. The two-day academic and artistic event， called “Music Culture of China： Forms， Traditions， Practices，” was co-launched by the Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Music Academy and China’s Central Conservatory of Music.
　　More than 40 scholars and professional musicians from Ukraine， China， Norway， the U.S.， Canada， Lithuania， and Russia presented their reports.
　　The event highlights “the Chinese musical culture in the Ukrainian science and musical study，” said Maksym Tymoshenko， head of the Ukrainian academy.
　　Secretary of the Party Committee of China’s Central Conservatory of Music Zhao Min， in turn， noted the importance of the conference in strengthening Chinese-Ukrainian ties.
　　“The study of Chinese musical art in Ukraine promotes cultural exchanges and the education of gifted youth，” Zhao said.


　　Chinese Director Wins Award for Best Director at the Sofia International Film Festival
　　Chinese director Zhou Ziyang， aged 38， won the award for Best Director at the 25th edition of Sofia International Film Festival （SIFF）. The award went to Zhou for his film Wuhai， said SIFF in a press release on March 20.
　　“This movie is really a crystal，” which concentrated the essence of life and traditions from a very big and different country， said SIFF. “Through this movie， we can understand something about another part of the world and about ourselves.”
　　Wuhai， literally meaning “black sea，” is Zhou’s second feature film. Grounded in realism， it tells the story of a young couple living in the small city of Wuhai， who struggle with financial problems， split， and get back together after a storm.
　　Zhou has previously won the award for best young director from the Chinese Film Directors’ Guild for his first feature film Old Beast.
　　SIFF is the biggest film festival in Bulgaria and the only Bulgarian film festival recognized by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations （FIAPF）. This year’s edition presented a total of 134 films from 53 countries and regions.