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The opening ceremony of the provincial rural mobile photography event in Shengzhou. [Photo/Tide News]

A provincial mobile photography event opened on Nov 15 in Dongwang village of Ganlin town, Shengzhou, renowned as the hometown of Yueju Opera. Nearly 200 villagers from 36 teams across Zhejiang province gathered to capture scenes of rural life.

As a core member of the organizing team, Liu Zhining, a photography specialist from the Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Center, said the initiative builds on public photo programs launched since 2017. The team has long explored ways to root artistic creation in local communities.

Participants capture the event with mobile phones. [Photo/Tide News]

This year's program includes a set of activities designed to help turn villagers from observers into creators. Each county selects 10 villages or communities and assigns a volunteer mobile photography instructor to each. Villages then organize a small-scale photo event featuring themes related to everyday life, offer a training session, and display award-winning works.

By October, hundreds of villages had joined the initiative. Liu said the core idea is encouraging residents to capture their own surroundings, adding that mobile photography is accessible and spreads quickly, making everyday rural beauty and change easier to record and share. The effort also supports cultural engagement, tourism and rural vitalization.

After the opening ceremony, villagers viewed 400 award-winning photos from previous years before joining a one-day field session. The works reflect the vitality and warmth of rural Zhejiang province. The exhibition will tour villages across the province and be shared online in hopes of reaching a wider audience.

Photographers on site capture images of Yueju Opera performers. [Photo/Tide News]