To present the ancient and modern, the west and east of China, a media trip to three cities was organized by China Daily in late May.

A dozen reporters and photographers from mainstream media organizations in South Korea, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Nepal, Brunei and Myanmar joined the media junket titled "Asian Media Focusing on Beautiful China".

The group visited Xi'an in Shaanxi province, Taiyuan in Shanxi province and Zhangjiagang in Jiangsu province.

In Xi'an, ancient capital of 12 dynasties and gateway to the Silk Road, journalists got a feel for the city's millenniums-long history and culture by visiting many historic relics and remains.

They also learned of plans to build a Silk Road Economic Zone, a national program with many cities along the ancient trade route involved.

In Taiyuan, capital city of the coal-rich Shanxi province, local government leaders told journalists how the city is shifting from a resource-reliant to an eco-friendly economy.

In Zhangjiagang, local authorities showed the city's latest achievements in urban-rural integration.

Journalists said the trip from May 21 to 31 was fruitful.

Gulyamov Shakhrukh, reporter with Uzbekistan's Jahon news agency, said he was especially impressed with the city of Xi'an and Shaanxi province.

"People in Central Asia have limited knowledge about Xi'an, only knowing it's an ancient city with rich tourism resources.

"Through this trip, we learned that Xi'an was the beginning of the Silk Road and the hub for the trade between China and Central Asia," said Shakhrukh.

Rudolf A. Portillo, a photographer with the Brunei Times, praised environmental protection efforts made by the government of Taiyuan.

"I visited Yuquan Mountains Forest Park, the former dumping place for garbage. Today it's a major attraction for both locals and tourists," he said.

Portillo also noted the advanced irrigation technologies and the efficient farming in Taiyuan, used in developing resource-saving and eco-friendly agriculture.

Rapid urbanization in Zhangjiagang was remarkable to Manzar Naqvi, executive editor with the Financial Daily in Pakistan.

He said he never expected a "village" in China could expand to the scale of a medium-sized city in Pakistan.

"You cannot tell the difference between the city and countryside - this is amazing," he said.

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1. Life on Muslim Street in Xi'an. 2. Photographing grottoes near Taiyuan, Shanxi province. 3. Tourist in Zhangjiagang reflected in the glass of a door. 4. Myanmar Times photographer Aung Htay Hlaing photographs a terracotta warrior replica in Xi'an. 5. Night view of Zhangjiagang. 6. A performance combining acrobatics and local opera in Qingxu, Shanxi province. 7. Brunei Times chief photographer Rudolf A. Portillo prepares to photograph a girl playing the Chinese zither in Zhangjiagang. Photos by Wang Jing / China Daily

(China Daily 07/01/2014 page10)