A grand ceremony was held Monday afternoon in Regent Hotel, Beijing, celebrating the birth of a new book “100 photographers’ focus on China” and the 28th birthday of China Daily.

The book consists of 362 pictures taken by 248 photographers, which present a visual and vivid history of China since the memorable date of Oct 1, 1949.

This volume is the fifth of its series, and as the family album for China, the books have charted the course of this nations’ journey during the past 60 years.

The hundreds of pictures were assembled by China Daily and published by China Wenlian Publishing Corporation to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Some of the photographers were also present at the ceremony, sharing the stories behind their photos with the guests.

A special “birthday cake” made of ice was revealed at the end of the ceremony. As Mr. Zhu Ling, China Daily Editor-in-Chief and the guests poured red wine into the “cake”, the ceremony was brought to its climax.

China Daily, established in June 1981, is the only official English-language national newspaper in China. It aims to serve an increasing number of foreigners who are interested in China, as well as Chinese who wish to improve their English. The twenty-four page paper, published Monday to Saturday, is regarded as the English-language mouthpiece for the government and is often used as a guide to official policy.