The fascination with and interest in photography keeps getting bigger and bigger. A presentation takes place at the previous Lishui Photography Festival. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

The city of Lishui in East China's Zhejiang province – dubbed "the home of Chinese photography" by the Chinese Photographer's Association – has been delivering beauty through the lenses of photographers from both at home and abroad in nearly two decades.

In 2004, Lishui held its first photography festival and since then the festival has been held every two years. Through the municipal government's efforts, the city's renowned natural beauty and the art of photography complement each other and the Lishui photography brand is becoming more and more famous internationally.

The 2022 FIAP World Photographers Conference will be held in Lishui on Nov 17-21. It is the first time the city and the International Federation of Photographic Art, or FIAP, are jointly holding the world event – seen as a milestone for promoting the development of Lishui as a top international photography venue.

According to the organizers, the conference will include a keynote conference, two major exhibitions and an expo. It will highlight "specialization, industrialization and internationalization" and the characteristics of "youth, fashion and vanguard".

By virtue of the dissemination of powerful photographic works, Lishui's scenery is able to reach out to the world.

Take Yunhe Terrace, which went viral with a single photo in 2011, with the Yunhe Terrace Scenic Spot subsequently established – attracting the attention of masses of photographers. Today, Yunhe Terrace receives more than 400,000 visitors a year and its booming tourism industry has encouraged many people there to start up their own businesses.

Zhang Qihu, who runs a local leisure resort, is bullish about future prospects. "Photographers have made Yunhe Terrace an alluring destination for tourists from around the globe, making our lives better and better," he said.