A visitor takes a photo at the exhibition with a cell phone. [Photo/People.com.cn]

Xu Jiandong, a first prize winner of the competition, expressed his fondness for the living atmosphere in Central and Eastern European countries.

“In Slovakia, coffee is a necessity for the local people. They can easily spend the whole afternoon with a cup of coffee. I try to catch their lifestyle, their gentle pace of living, through my camera,” said Xu.

The exhibition was well received by the visitors. According to Li Yue, a junior at Zhejiang University Ningbo Institute of Technology, the heritage of the native culture in Central and Eastern European countries greatly shocked her.

"It seems that time never passes by those countries. The buildings, the streets looks as if they stay the same since they were built. I do wish to visit those countries in future, " said Li.

The five-day China-CEEC Expo will be held under the Belgrade Guidelines for Cooperation between China and the CEE countries, which was signed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and CEE leaders in Belgrade, Serbia, in December 2014.

With the theme of "expanding opening-up and cooperation and jointly building the Silk Road", government leaders and representatives of business enterprises from 16 CEE countries will attend the expo. They’ll participate in investment symposiums, trade exhibitions, business forums and cultural activities.