Beijing invites photographers to record 'Olympic city'

With a little more than two months to go before the 2022 Winter Olympics vote, the bidders in Beijing found that they still have so much to tell the world.

The Beijing government has invited 20 photographers around the world to shoot various aspects of Beijing, including the natural scenery, historical sites and Beijing residents' life.

"Beijing is a beautiful city with lovely countryside. It is also an Olympic city. I hope the photographers could record the life of Beijing and tell how Beijing citizens welcome the Winter Olympics," said Wang Hui, deputy secretary general of Beijing's bidding committee.

George Doupas, from Greece, planned to take photos of Beijing's traditional courtyards.

"I wish Beijing has a successful bid," he said.

Thanks to favorable weather conditions and improved air quality, the photographers are expected to have nice pictures in their week long tour around the Chinese capital.

On Thursday, Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau (BMEPB) just announced air quality has improved in the last four months, with the average density of PM 2.5 (airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter) dropping by 19 percent compared with the same period last year.

Despite the progress, the bidding committee remained calm and objective about Beijing's prospect.

Xu Jicheng, deputy director of press and communications department of the bidding committee, said Beijing and the other candidate city Almaty are an equal match.

"It is a 50-50 chance for Beijing as the IOC president Bach put it. I think each city has its own strong points and weak points," Xu said.

The International Olympic Committee will vote on Beijing's bid race against Almaty, Kazakhstan, on July 31 in Kuala Lumpur. Endi