BEIRUT, July 7 -- The Chinese Embassy in Lebanon, in cooperation with "The Most Beautiful Villages in Lebanon" association, opened on Friday a photo exhibition showcasing the beautiful villages of Lebanon and China.

Titled "Villages Without Borders," the Chinese-Lebanese photo exhibition is open to the public from Friday to Thursday. It showcases 60 photos of rural scenery in the southern Chinese city of Guilin, and Lebanese towns in the mountains, the Bekaa, and the north through the lens of Lebanese photographers.

China "welcomes Lebanese friends to visit China, to experience the diversity and vitality of Chinese society, and to feel the friendship and sincerity of the Chinese people," Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Qian Minjian spoke at the opening ceremony, according to his embassy's statement.

He hoped the event would help the two countries to deepen the exchange of experiences in rural development as well as culture and people-to-people exchanges.

Qian noted that by 2021, China successfully lifted nearly 100 million people out of poverty, having solved a problem that had plagued the Chinese nation for thousands of years.

After that, China focuses on solving the problems of unbalanced and insufficient development between regions and urban and rural areas, and achieving complete human growth and shared prosperity for all, he added.

For her part, Maguy Khoubbieh Kostanian, president of the Lebanese association, said the exhibition encouraged tourism in Lebanon and China.

"It introduces people in Lebanon to the beautiful Chinese villages and people in China to our villages in Lebanon," she said, adding that the second step is to hold the exhibition in several villages in Lebanon.