Photos capture slices of life during epidemic

A pan-Asia photo exhibition co-organized by China Daily and Asia News Network kicked off in Bangkok, Thailand on Wednesday, providing people with different perspectives on life during the pandemic through the camera lens.

Themed "Changing Asia — New Normal", the exhibition is being held in the Central World shopping center until Nov 20, coinciding with Bangkok's hosting of a key meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation economies. It aims to capture the changes Asia has gone through during the pandemic and encourage people to embrace a new beginning.

A total of 78 photos from 18 countries were selected for the exhibition, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Palestine, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. They were chosen by a panel of experts from more than 1,000 photos contributed by 179 photographers of these countries.

The exhibition is more than a display of some fine works of photography, said Zhou Li, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily Group and publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific.

"It shows a major campaign, highlighting how people in Asia are coping and coming to terms with COVID-19," Zhou said at the opening ceremony of the exhibition. He said the global public health crisis showed the need to build a community of a shared future for mankind that calls for a global solution for common problems.

Korn Dabbaransi, former Thai deputy prime minister and chairman of the Thai-Chinese Friendship Association, said the exhibition is being held with great timing as Bangkok hosts the APEC Economic Leaders' Week.

Korn said he hopes Asia will be able to show the world that it is ready to face the future in the Asian way after the pandemic.

"Photography will be the one that records history," said Chadchart Sittipunt, governor of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

Noting many things have changed during the past three years, Chadchart said the exhibition is important because it reflects people's life.

Naphat Ratanasakdi, secretary-general of the Royal Photographic Society of Thailand, and Pana Janviroj, editor of Asia News Network, also delivered speeches at the opening ceremony.

Thai photographer Varuth Pongsapipatt said he was proud that his photo was selected for the exhibition.

When Thailand's COVID-19 death toll was rising last year, he took a photo of Siam Nonthaburi Foundation employees at a crematorium.

"Diseases sometimes are just recorded by numbers but I tried to use my photograph to make a record of people in that situation," said Varuth. "It's not for me, but for the people who get recorded in history."