Visitors attend a previous edition of the Lishui Photography Festival. [Photo/Tide News]

The 2025 Lishui Photography Festival has received enthusiastic responses from photographers worldwide, highlighting its substantial international influence even before its official opening.

According to the organizing committee, a record-breaking 3,609 exhibition proposals and 64,516 individual works were submitted. After review by the academic committee, 1,335 exhibitions and 18,531 works were ultimately selected.

This achievement is attributed to over two decades of Lishui's deep understanding of and sustained investment in the international photography scene.

The festival's internationalization has entered a new phase of substantial influence. A key shift occurred around 2017, moving the strategy from inviting participants to attracting them, and from a one-way introduction to a reciprocal cultural exchange.

Lishui has established stable partnerships with multiple international institutions and has gained recognition from renowned masters such as Stephen Shore and Thomas Ruff.

For this year's festival, Ruff will not only present his most significant works but also host special lectures and academic seminars.

The festival now attracts international artists and institutions thanks to its academic reputation and valuable platform, rather than relying solely on direct invitations.

The international scope of submissions reflects this trend, featuring entries from across Europe and the Americas, as well as countries like Chile, South Korea, and India.

Under the theme "Innovations Spark Possibilities", the 2025 Lishui Photography Festival encourages pioneering exploration in visual language and emphasizes deep integration of photography with local culture.