On July 19, 2008, a photo exhibition of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was held in Cochin, Kerala. Mr. Xie Fei, Counselor for Cultural Affairs of the Chinese Embassy and about 200 Indian friends attended the opening ceremony of the show.

In his remarks, Mr. Xie said, 600 years ago, the great Chinese navigator Zheng He and his fleet visited Cochin six times, doing business and engaging in friendly exchanges with the locals. The Chinese fishing net, which is still being widely used today, is the testimony of history. We hope that our two peoples could follow the footprints of our predecessors, enhance the mutual understanding and friendship between the two Governments and peoples in the field of culture and other areas.

In their speeches, local government officials spoke highly of the exchanges and cooperation between India and China in various fields and expressed their appreciation and admiration for the striking achievements and developments in the fields of trade, economy and cultural cooperation between India and China. They said they were also looking forward to a successful Olympic Games in Beijing.

The reaction from the local people to the photo show was great. From the second half of 2007, the Chinese Embassy had held six photo shows about the Beijing Olympic Games.