A photo contest exhibition was held inside the Beijing Capital Museum on Tuesday, Feb. 5, portraying what the nation's capital looks like through the eyes of foreigners.

The contest, themed "Beijing Spirit in the Eyes of Foreign Friends," was open for submissions from April to September in 2012, with 3, 729 photos sent in by 160 participants from 63 countries this year. 17 selected photos went on to win first, second and third prizes.

Lorenzo Barbieri, a 30-year-old Italian musician and art agent who currently resides in Beijing, won first prize. As a shutterbug, he takes photos all the time, saying the photo he'd sent in this time, showed his understanding of Beijing.

The photo, named "Ages," shows an old man holding a child in front of the Forbidden City.

Barbieri explained this place is the very first historical Beijing feature that any tourist would visit, and Mao's portrait is a sign of China. "But at the same time, what I want to say is that in a dynamic city like Beijing, people are facing the challenges of the future, especially the younger generations."

"Now the child is protected by his grandfather, but in 20 years time, the responsibility of the child for the future will be in his small hands." Barbieri said.

The photo contest was first launched in 2009 by the Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

"All the works submitted, prize-winning or not, are very much heart-touching in certain aspects, showing the wisdom and skill of the photographers", said the organizing committee.