[Photo by He Wen/Shaoxing Daily]

Each photo has a history, and each object is a memory. The photo exhibition of Shaoxing celebrating the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up was launched in Shaoxing Archives on the morning of December 17th. It was hosted by the propaganda department of the municipal Party committee and the reform office of the municipal Party committee, and organized by Shaoxing Archives and Shaoxing Daily. Citizens entered the exhibition hall to feel great changes happening during these 40 years.

“I learned the news from the newspaper, so I came by bus early this morning.” Zhao Qiyuan, 67 years old, walked into the exhibition hall as soon as the door opened at 8:30 am. “I’m the first visitor,” he said with excitement. He looked carefully at each picture and nodded from time to time. “After 40 years of reform and opening-up, Shaoxing has really changed a lot.” He said the pictures on display reminded him of some stories about this city. “I was a public judge when the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival was held in Shaoxing in 2012,” he said, pointing at one of the pictures of the film festival.

The exhibition was divided into six parts themed on innovation, harmony, green, opening up, sharing and Party building with over 360 precious pictures, more than 70 valuable archives, 41 objects and 4 videos on exhibition. When visiting the exhibition, you feel like traveling through time. Many citizens came with families for generations. They gathered around the pictures, gazing, communicating or smiling.

An old man named Lu Shengfeng was excited after visiting the exhibition. He wrote a poem on the visitors’ book to praise the great changes and achievements of Shaoxing and express his wish for a better Shaoxing.

16 Party members from Shaoxing Agriculture and Rural Work Office visited the exhibition as a special thematic activity. “40 years of reform and opening-up is an extraordinary history. Shaoxing has made great progress in agriculture and rural work over the past years. I’m proud and confident of my work,” said Ji Ping, one of the Party members.

Xu Zhian, deputy secretary of the Party branch of Shaoxing Agriculture and Rural Work Office took a serious look at the pictures of the Party building part. He said more than ten years ago, he worked in the statistical bureau. At that time, the rural per capita net income was 10,000 yuan, while today, it has exceeded 30,000 yuan. “The people are getting richer and leading a happier life.” Through this visit, he has a new understanding of the importance of Party building in reform and opening-up.

“When the exhibition was coming to an end in the afternoon, there were still citizens coming, which was unexpected.” A worker of Shaoxing Archives said in order to present a panoramic view of the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up, at the beginning of September this year, Shaoxing Archives issued a public notice to government organs, enterprises and individuals to collect photos of reform and opening-up, which evoked a warm response. At the stage of preparation, the photo exhibition had attracted the public.