BEIJING, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Sui Xiankai, a photographer from China's Xinhua News Agency, has worked in Egypt for about a year.
In March 2021, he came to the country for the first time and then spent nearly 99% of his time staying in its capital city of Cairo due to the pandemic.
Sui felt lucky to work in Egypt, a country that fascinates the world with its mysterious, splendid cultures of thousands of years. Traveling around it, he recorded everything he believes worth remembering.
Here is the Egypt in 2021 through some of his pictures and the stories behind them.
Photo shows an exhibit at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo, Egypt, April 4, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
On April 3, the Egyptian government held a grand parade ceremony in the capital of Cairo to transfer 22 pharaonic mummies from the old Egyptian Museum to the newly-built National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, in a bid to set up a new tourist attraction and revitalize its tourism badly affected by the COVID-19.
I was not invited to cover the event, due to the severity of the COVID-19 which prompted the government to limit the number of journalists.
Two weeks later, I went to shoot the mummies that were officially opened to the public.
People visit the Royal Mummies' Hall at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Cairo, Egypt, April 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
In dimly-lit open rooms, mummies were showcased in glass covers. Looking at these well-preserved bodies, you can't imagine that the once sovereign pharaohs who ruled Egypt for thousands of years were now lying in front of you. Though mummified, they remained awe-inspiring.
For some reasons, journalists were not allowed to shoot them. So I only took pictures at the entrance to the mummy hall.
Photo shows the entrance to the Royal Mummies' Hall at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Cairo, Egypt, April 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
"The pharaohs were paraded and displayed, likely to lay a curse on Egypt", my colleague joked with me.
It was absolutely a joke. "Pharaoh Curse" is only a legend.
However, a big sudden event that occurred before the pharaoh parade cannot but make people imagine the reason.
On March 23, Ever Given, a 400-meter-long massive container ship, was grounded in the new passage of Egypt's Suez Canal after being blown off course by a sand storm.
This immediately hit the world headlines. The canal is so vital that about 12 percent of the global trade volume passes through it every year.
Its blocking not only worried the world but prompted the Egyptian government to try its hardest to free the ship.
Photo taken on March 25, 2021 shows the grounded container ship Ever Given on the Suez Canal, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Pictures about this were scarce.
As a photojournalist, I must go to the site where news happened. "If your photographs aren't good enough, you're not close enough", war photographer Robert Capa's saying came to my mind.
So I and my colleagues drove twice to the site where the ship ran aground.
On the morning of March 25, we drove discreetly around the canal, along which military checkpoints dotted, to hunt for the trapped ship. Hours later, we found it but cannot approach it. Given safety reasons, I didn't get off the car, only shooting inside the car at a distance nearest to me. I got first-hand pictures.
Photo taken on March 29, 2021 shows the container ship Ever Given on the Suez Canal, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Photo taken on March 29, 2021 shows the container ship Ever Given on the Suez Canal, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
On the afternoon of March 29, we drove to the canal again after learning that the stuck ship was likely to be floated. This time, we found a village road near and parallel with the canal to track the ship.
In the village, scattered buildings and trees blocked our view. We must be stop-and-go to look for the ship.
When the freed colossus suddenly came into our sight after moving past a house, we were effusive in excitement. Following the ship with great care, I captured more pictures.
Photo taken on March 29, 2021 shows the container ship Ever Given moving on the Suez Canal, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
As sun set, the freighter that had been stranded on the canal for a week slowly disappeared in the distance.
This breaking news, which triggered heated discussions around the world, came to an end temporarily.
Compared with the canal event, however, the endless COVID-19 might be Egypt's biggest headache.
The country's economy, especially in the tourism sector, was severely hit by the COVID-19. In 2020, the tourism revenue decreased by around 70 percent compared to 2019, and the tourist number also dropped by 73 percent.
In the first half year of 2021, tourism remained depressed.
Tourists visit the Giza Pyramids scenic spot in Giza, Egypt, on April 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
On April 26, I visited the Giza Pyramids some 13 km west of Cairo, surprised to see that only a few tourists roamed at this world-renowned resort without hustle and bustle again.
A man who ran camel ride at the resort said his camels were not ridden by tourists for months. Souvenir booths were also empty with visitors.
Souvenir vendors wait for tourists at the Giza Pyramids scenic spot in Giza, Egypt, on April 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Tourists visit the Sphinx at the Giza Pyramids scenic spot in Giza, Egypt, on April 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
The same thing happened at other resorts in the country. Not many tourists were seen at the renowned Egyptian Museum when I came here on International Museum Day held annually on May 18.
People visit the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt, May 18, 2021. May 18 marks International Museum Day. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
People visit the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt, May 18, 2021. May 18 marks International Museum Day. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Vendors wait for tourists by the statue of Sphinx at the ruins of the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, around 23 kilometers southwest of Cairo, capital of Egypt, July 28, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Tourists visit the Step Pyramid complex in the Saqqara necropolis near the capital Cairo, Egypt, May 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Egypt is a big tourism country, with the revenue accounting for 13 percent to 15 percent of GDP. Its importance is self-evident. To revitalize it, the government had tried every means, with the fight against COVID-19 as one of the priorities.
Efforts to speed up the vaccination work nationwide were key, which had urged the government to seek vaccines from around the world.
Airport staff members transport the first batch of Chinese Sinovac vaccine raw materials unloaded from a plane at the Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Egypt, May 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
China is among them. In this year, Egypt had received batches of COVID-19 vaccines from China, which also helped the country build up its first vaccine production line. As the first batch of vaccines rolled off the line, Egypt became the first country on the African continent to cooperate with China in the COVID-19 vaccine production.
Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang (3rd R, front) and Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed (2nd R, front) meet the media after the arrival of the first batch of Chinese Sinovac vaccine raw materials and a new shipment of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines at the Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Egypt, May 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
The country will also own the tallest building in Africa with the help of China.
On June 17, the 385-meter-high Iconic Tower in the central business district (CBD) of Egypt's new administrative capital was topped out. The tower, which will be the tallest building in Africa upon completion, is the most striking skyscraper of the CBD project being built by China.
When I shot pictures on top of the tower, Egyptian workers gave me a thumbs-up and praised China for its strong capabilities in construction.
Photo taken on June 17, 2021 shows the Iconic Tower (C) being topped out at the construction site of the central business district (CBD) project in the new administrative capital, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Photo taken from the Iconic Tower on June 17, 2021 shows the construction site of the central business district (CBD) project in the new administrative capital, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
In the second half of 2021, with vaccination work being carried out, cultural activities being promoted, and international flights resumed, Egypt's tourism began to revive.
Many scenic spots have been seeing an increasing number of tourists. In early August, the site of the pyramids regained over 50% of the number of visitors that used to visit the site before the outbreak of COVID-19.
Tourists ride camels to view the Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt, on Oct. 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Tourists ride camels to view the Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt, on Oct. 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Most Egyptians, as I see, actually care nothing about the COVID-19, which hasn't even made any difference to their life.
They seem optimistic and easy to find contentment in living a simple life. No matter how terrible their life condition is, they would always wear a smile. No matter where they are, they would always make a cup of tea or coffee to enjoy with their free time.
This is their life, simple but romantic.
People enjoy the sunset in Cairo, Egypt, on April 11, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Children living in the slum play football in an open space at a slum area with cemeteries, in Cairo, Egypt, June 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Boys play football on the ground outside of the Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt, on Sept. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
For me, the most romantic thing I experienced in Egypt was witnessing China's space station flying past the country's sky.
China's space station Tiangong completes one trip around the globe every 90 minutes or so. It flew past Egypt on the early morning of Nov. 26. This was a dialogue across time and space between the world's two great ancient civilizations.
Photomontage taken on Nov. 26, 2021 shows a trail of China's space station over the Bent Pyramid in Giza, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
To catch this moment, I and my colleagues chose the 4500-year-old Bent Pyramid as the background.
On that night, standing in the cold desert where the pyramid sits, I intently gazed at the dark but star-twinkling sky. There was nothing but silence around me.
About an hour before sunrise, the space station suddenly emerged from the sky over the pyramid. I couldn't help yelling, and kept on pressing the shutter. The moment that the space station flying like a meteor past the pyramid was captured.
Photomontage taken on Nov. 26, 2021 shows star trails over the Bent Pyramid in Giza, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Time flies. In the past year of 2021, I cherished every chance to heartily explore this charming country.
Here, you can see the sunset just right on the spire of one of the grand Giza Pyramids. You can view perfectly-preserved tomb reliefs of thousands of years. You can discover fragmented evidence of those prosperous pharaonic cities which had been ruined by the time. You can feel warmth with local people.
Photo taken on April 14, 2021 shows the Giza Pyramids at sunset seen from Cairo, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
A staff member is on duty in a high official tomb in Saqqara district, south of Cairo, Egypt, Aug. 3, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Photo taken on Aug. 3, 2021 shows a colored relief painting inside a high official tomb in Saqqara district, south of Cairo, Egypt. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Photo shows the lying colossal statue of ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II at the ruins of ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, around 23 kilometers southwest to Cairo, capital of Egypt, July 28, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Young men ride a motorcycle near the Bent Pyramid in Giza, Egypt, April 5, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
People walk on a road in a residential area outside of the Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt, on Sept. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Above were part of what happened to me in Egypt in 2021.
Though affected by COVID-19, I will continue to explore and record the country which fascinates me.
