A group of 20 foreign media started their day one by watching the gate opening ceremony at the ancient city in Qufu, a county-level city in Jining, Shandong province on Oct 18.

The ancient city, known as Minggucheng, namely Ancient City in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), is part of the World heritage of Confucian sites in Qufu -- the Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion.

The reporters, from the world's major media such as BBC, Russia's Rossiya Segodnya, South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo, Thailand's Nation Multimedia Group and the Nepali Times, embarked on a four-day fact-finding tour of Jining, Shandong province on Oct 18, exploring the city's achievements in protecting traditional culture, replacing old growth drivers with new ones and rural revitalization over 40 years of reform and opening up.

Performers stage a wonderful show of the traditional city gate opening rite at Minggucheng, namely Ancient City in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in Qufu, a county-level city of Jining, Shandong province, Oct 18. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The reporters keep pressing the shutter release to record wonderful moments of the performance. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Foreign reporters use their cellphones and cameras to record the show of the traditional city gate opening rite at Minggucheng, in Qufu, Shandong province, Oct 18. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]