One of China's best-preserved ancient cities, Pingyao, in north China's Shanxi Province, saw the opening of a large photography festival Saturday.

More than 20,000 pictures by 1,232 photographers from 46 countries and regions were put on display in the seven-day Pingyao International Photography Festival (PIP).

A foreign tourist watches photos displayed at a photograph exhibition held in Pingyao, an ancient city of north China's Shanxi Province September 19, 2009.(Xinhua/Fan Minda)

Pingyao, 616 kilometers southwest to Beijing, was listed as a world heritage site by the UNESCO in 1997. It can be traced back to 2,700 years ago and was rebuilt in 1370 when most of the remaining brick houses and a city wall were built up.

"The ancient city itself is a great attraction for photographers, making it an ideal rendezvous for us to communicate while having fun," said professional photographer Long Jinxiang.

People watch photos displayed at a photograph exhibition held in Pingyao, an ancient city of north China's Shanxi Province September 19, 2009. More than 1,000 photographers from 40 countries and regions will showcase their works at 138 stands in nine exhibition halls during the photo exhibition, which opened in the city on Saturday. Pingyao, a well-preserved ancient city, has a history of 2,700 years and was placed on the world heritage list by UNESCO on Dec. 3, 1997.(Xinhua/Yan Yan)

PIP is among the 10 largest photography festivals in China and the only one to be held in a world heritage site, said Hu Suping, head of Shanxi Provincial Publicity Department.

"The combination of modern art and traditional culture is powerful," said David Mulroney, Canadian ambassador to China.

In the past eight sessions of PIP, more than 1.6 million people enjoyed works of 1,600 photographers from various parts of the world. "We endeavor to keep PIP global, professional and diverse," Hu said.