Renowned French photographer Cartier-Bresson once said: "With one eye closed you see the world within; with the other open, you see the world without." And what might happen when diplomats, who are known for their acute observation, start looking at the world through view-finders?

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' second photo exhibition in Beijing, visitors were given the chance to see over 400 works, with touching messages delicately woven into amazing landscapes and peoples.

You've got the whole world in the exhibition halls of Beijing's National Museum of Fine Arts visually. From the steel works of the big metropolises to the moving sand dunes and caravans of the Sub-Sahara, every single picture brings a juicy slice of the globe on which a unique culture is nurtured.

This year's event is the second since 1997. And the 420 works on display have been selected from nearly 2,600 submissions, covering over 110 countries and regions. Li Zhaoxing, China's foreign minister, found time to an appearance.

From deliberated works to unexpected snapshots, these pictures capture those moments when strong emotions overtook the authors, drawing them ever-closer to the country their profession has taken them to. So it's not surprising to see a deep concern with the life of local people pervading nearly all the works. Emaciated Iraqi children during the hardship of economic sanction, Afghanistan women sitting for resumed class after the fall of Taliban -- they are the witness of history, and they fossilized memories with cameras.

Their faces are beamed through television all the times, but the chance to see them face-to-face is virtually zero for many, let alone taking pictures. As a senior photographer working at the Diaoyutai Guest House, Guo Qiumin got that privilege without having to travel far away.

Guo Qiumin said, "For well over a decade, I've been taking pictures for visiting leaders. And there are altogether over 100 of them. I remember that day Mr Fidel Castro walked into the balcony, and because of sunshine, he raised his hand before the forehead -- at that time I clicked the shutter.

Diplomats are usually seen as being skillful with words, when they are in front of the cameras. But once they behind them, they understand how to let pictures talk for them.

(CCTV.com September 6, 2004)