Fang Lijun, a well-known contemporary artist, is painting in his art studio in Songzhuang. (Photos: People's Daily/Shi Jiamin)

More than 140 photojournalists used their lenses to explore the art town of Songzhuang, one of the world’s largest art communities, in southeast Beijing on Friday.

The event, organized by the Photojournalist Society of China, included interviews and photography with a focus on the artistic culture of the town.

Located in Beijing’s Tongzhou district, Songzhuang has become the world’s largest art community in terms of the number of artists and privately owned art galleries.

Artists are drawing sketches in Songzhuang.

Covering an area of 25,000 square meters, Songzhuang is home to 35 exhibition halls, 78 art galleries and 5,000 art studios, attracting more than 7,000 artists.

The 16-meter-high sculpture Ao Xiang (Hovering High), made of stainless steel, is the work of the famous sculptor Zhang Hua.

(Compiled by Zhang Heng)