A group of famed photographers from Beijing spent two days in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province from Sept 23 to 24, capturing the beauty of this port city lying on the south bank of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Led by Wang Wenlan, assistant chief editor of China Daily and vice president of China Photographers Association, the group of ten award-winning photographers first met with Zhangjiagang's Party Secretary Zhu Lifan at a welcome banquet, where Zhu expressed his appreciation for the visit and briefly introduced the city's development in recent years.

Then the photographers set off individually to various parts of the city in search of the perfect light and shadow to capture the city's picturesque landscape and rapid development.

Wang Wenlan, assistant chief editor of China Daily and vice president of China Photographers Association, captures a scene of daily life at Leyu Old Street in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province on Sept 24. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

From bustling business complexes to tranquil ancient temples, from magnificent trading ports to quaint countryside courtyards, from modern high-tech firms to gorgeous tourist attractions, the photographers scoured every corner of Zhangjiagang to showcase its versatility as a city integrating inclusiveness, openness, gentleness, cultural richness and competitiveness.

"I feel like embracing the distinctive spirituality of the city with my deep heart," said Wang, who was looking for inspiration while sitting underneath a 400-year-old ginkgo tree at Shuangxing Temple. Wang said the grand ginkgo tree stands there peacefully as if watching over the transformation of a small village to an urbanized city.

As Wang's comments suggest, the work produced by the group during their trip highlights the deep cultural and spiritual heritage of Zhangjiagang as it hurtles forward into the future.

After two days' rambling and glimpsing the mouth of the Yangtze River, the photographers have already selected their favorite shots and these works will now be combined into a special collection. Together with a newly launched 3-D city promotion video, the pieces will serve as a centerpiece of the city's efforts to boost its image and attract more visitors.