A photo exhibition, titled “Moments in History, 70 years of Shanghai”, was inaugurated on September 15 in the Katara Cultural Village in Doha to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The exhibition features 70 historical moments from Shanghai’s past seven decades, including the city’s recovery from the Chinese Civil War, Pudong’s opening up, and how Shanghai is striving to become a global city of excellence.

“I went to Shanghai and the Huangpu River two years ago when I was studying in Beijing,” said a young visitor. He said Shanghai was such a beautiful city that had left a deep impression on him. “I hope I can visit Shanghai again.”

Taking his three-year-old daughter to see the photo exhibition, Shan Jingxuan is a biomedical researcher working at a university in Qatar. Ten years ago, he left Shanghai for Qatar, where he has been given a lot of room in biomedical research. Now he wants to return to Shanghai, because of the city’s stunning development in biomedicine, AI and integrated circuits, with the city aiming to become an international center of science and technology.

At the same time, Qatar’s participation in major events held in Shanghai can also be found in the pictures, including the Qatar Pavilion at the World Expo 2010, Qatar Airways’ presence during the China International Import Expo (CIIE), and the Qatari male track and field athlete Abderrahman Samba in the 400m men’s hurdles during the IAAF Diamond League in Shanghai.

Looking at the picture of the Qatar Pavilion at the World Expo 2010, a staff member in the Katara Cultural Village was very excited. He said the photo exhibition is very meaningful and hopes for more interactions in various forms to promote the mutual understanding between Shanghai and Qatar.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition was attended by Yin Yicui, director of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress; Zhou Jian, the Ambassador of China to Qatar; and representatives from Qatar. During her visit to Doha, Yin also sat down with the Gulf Times to talk about the story behind this exhibition, the socio-economic development of Shanghai, and the city’s preparations for this year’s CIIE.

Hosted by the Katara Cultural Village, the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the State of Qatar and organized by the Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (SPAFFC) and Eastday, the exhibition will last through October 4. Prior to Qatar, the pictures have toured several countries including Panama, Germany, Belgium, Brazil and South Africa.