Snow-covered Hemu village in Altay, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"We're very fortunate to be able to showcase China's beauty through photos exhibited on the first floor, which will be seen by many delegates, staff and visitors," he says.

The exhibition is based on the book China: Land in Five Colors, originally published by Red Flag Press in Chinese. The English version of the book is frequently given as a state gift at diplomatic occasions.

Coordinating with China National Geography, the book's editor and the UN exhibition initiator Tao Hua says the book selected 400 photos from 134 top Chinese photographers. It reflects the concept of homeland.

"China is our proud homeland of five colors, each representing kindness, warmth, strength, peace and openness," Tao says. "We have arranged the book according to the five colors."

"The key point of the book is to strengthen Chinese wisdom so that people and nature are one entity, and Chinese people value life and the laws of nature," Tao says.

In the book, each chapter is themed around one of the five elemental colors, yellow, black, red, white and green. Each tells a different story of the country's latest eco-programs, while introducing culture, landscapes and environment.