The 2021 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Design Exhibition was held in Yunnan's Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture on Oct. 9 ahead of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15).

The exhibition was a sideline event accompanying the 2021 Erhai Forum on Global Ecological Civilization Construction, which was held under the guidance of the State Council Information Office (SCIO), the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and co-hosted by the China International Publishing Group (CIPG), Yunnan Provincial People's Government, and China Public Relations Association (CPRA).

Over 100 Chinese and foreign guests were invited to the exhibition, including Du Zhanyuan, president of CIPG, Guo Weimin, president of CPRA, Qiu Jiang, vice-governor of Yunnan, Leslie Maasdorp, vice president and chief financial officer of BRICS New Development Bank (NDB), Chen Dehai, secretary-general of ASEAN-China Centre, and Yang Guozong, Party chief of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture.

The visitors were all impressed with the exhibits. They believed the art, combined with the theme of COP15, brings out the lofty concepts of Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC), which not only creates a good atmosphere for the upcoming COP15 but also helps to deepen cultural exchanges and cooperation among Lancang-Mekong countries and promote people-to-people exchange.

The 2021 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Design Award was initiated by China Report magazine, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Yunnan University, Bangkok University in Thailand, and the Mekong magazine. 

The organizing committee determined that this year's event would be organized around the theme of"Green Lancang-Mekong," which advocated for achieving beauty, prosperity, and harmony through practical actions, including by protecting, revering, and cherishing the environment.

Since the competition was launched in June, the organizing committee has received a significant number of submissions from many domestic and foreign contestants, demonstrating the ecological and cultural diversity of the Lancang-Mekong River Basin.

A design competition will also be exhibited in Kunming during the upcoming COP15. A representative of the organizing committee said that since the competition is still in progress, the works participating in the exhibition do not represent the final result of the competition. After the winners are announced at the end of the year, more exhibitions will be organized to allow more visitors to appreciate the beauty of the biodiversity of Lancang-Mekong countries and the fruitful results of the LMC's efforts.