An exhibition of more than 150 photographs was held here Wednesday evening by Xinhua News Agency, in an effort to boost cultural exchanges and understanding between China and Indonesia.

The exhibition, dubbed Xinhua Gallery, tries to review the history of China-Indonesia relations and reflect their cultures, societies and sports from different perspectives. Photos relating to major international events in 2011 are also on display to help the visitors better understand the development of the world.

The exhibition is also part of the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Xinhua News Agency, China's state news agency and also a leading world news service provider.

Established in November 1931 as the Red China News Agency, the agency changed to its current name in 1937. It is headquartered in Beijing, operating 33 branches in China and more than 160 overseas bureaus. It broadcasts news stories 24-hours non-stop in Chinese, English, Arabic, French, Russian, Spanish, and other foreign languages.

Addressing the event at Mall of Indonesia, Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Zhang Qiyue congratulated Xinhua on its 80th anniversary, saying that over the years, Xinhua News Agency has witnessed the birth and growth of the People's Republic of China and has made great contribution to promoting China's Reform and Opening-up as well as China's exchanges with the outside world. "The agency itself has also enhanced its strength and international profile, becoming one of the leading news agencies in the world," she said.

Zhang said, the photos on display not only remind people of the beautiful scenery, long history and brilliant culture of Indonesia, but also reflect the robust cooperation between China and Indonesia in various fields. "These photos will encourage us to contribute more to our bilateral friendly ties." "Due to historic reasons, there has been a lack of understanding between the people of the two countries. With the increasingly closer trade ties between China and Indonesia today, Xinhua Gallery should be the "most proper and effective way" to enhance our understanding of each other and our friendship, " said Yu Qianliang, Xinhua News Agency Jakarta Bureau Chief.

Indonesian government officials, representatives from Chinese businesses in Indonesia and local community as well as media representatives attended the opening ceremony.

After the ceremony, there will be permanent exhibitions at Mall of Indonesia, Mangga Dua Square, University Al Azhar Indonesia and its Confucius Institute. With 100 photos in every session and regularly updated, the Gallery will attract an estimate of 2 million visitors every year.

Xinhua, with the largest photo database in China, employs more than 8,000 photo contributors and updates more than 2,000 photos everyday. It also boasts China's biggest national photo archive, home to more than 5 million photos, with some dating back to the Qing Dynasty in the late 19th century.

Xinhua Gallery was launched by Xinhua in 2010 to boost China's cultural exchanges with other nations through the displaying of choice photos. The Gallery has had its footprint in scores of countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.