A Belgian man and a Nanjing woman share a load. Provided to China Daily

A Belgian child in a pink and white hoodie clutches a stuffed bee, while a Tibetan child wrapped in a tribal blanket hugs a small white goat. There are chief cooks and bottle washers, chess players in parks, shoppers, soda sippers and a crop of charming kids.

The cross-cultural show is sponsored by the European Union delegation in Beijing.

"We were talking one day and looking at some of his pictures," says the EU's press officer, William Fingleton, "and I said how much I liked the images of people - because people the world over tend to be interested in other people.

"So we came up with the idea to take portraits of the daily lives of Chinese and Europeans, and place them side by side to show that, despite perceived differences, we are more similar than we think in how we go about our daily lives."

The exhibition was presented last fall at the EU-China summit in Brussels, and now Fingleton hopes the show can travel to other cities around China.

The approach is nothing new for Nanjing-native Zhao. Last year, on Germany's national day, the festivities included a photo exhibition by Zhao that featured people in similar situations in both countries - and a coffee table book, Germans and Chinese in Focus.

Zhao, who worked in New York for 10 years, also likes to focus on faces for his commercial works.

His goal is to capture a spirit as well as a great face.

"This one is my favorites," Zhao says for at least the third time, pausing in front of two photos taken at street markets. A central figure in each faces a crowd of shoppers with an extended hand and an amiable but firm expression. You don't have to know what language they are speaking to know what they are saying: "Best price - that's my best price!"

Contact the writer at michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn.