The 2013 Pingyao International Photography Festival in the ancient city of Pingyao, Shanxi province, which drew more than 1,600 photographers from 32 countries and regions, came to a successful conclusion, on Sept 25, with a closing ceremony and press briefing.

The theme of the seven-day display was “Life in Photography”, with around 12,000 pictures on show in 427 exhibitions and 11 awards handed out in six categories.

There were also an estimated 36,000 domestic and foreign visitors in Pingyao for the event, bringing in 3.2 million yuan in ticket sales.

Every detail of this year’s festival was planned well in advance to assure smooth operations with an executive committee set up in Pingyao county, along with an academic committee, set up from the Taiyuan New Jin Merchants Culture Diffusion Group and the county, following government guidelines. The academic committee also held a conference on the Asia-Pacific Photography Festival Alliance ahead of the event.

There were other activities in Pingyao as well, including a lacquer culture expo, an investment and trade fair, and an opening ceremony for a micro film festival, showing how the photography festival could help the county’s economy.