From Winter Games to National Congress, photos showcase successes, challenges as year comes to a close

Xi Jinping (left), general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, presents the Party's new central leadership while meeting with the press at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct 23. The other six newly elected members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee are Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi. (FENG YONGBIN / CHINA DAILY)

The success of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the extravaganza staged for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on ice and snow, the incredible space missions carried out by Chinese astronauts, and the bravery of motorcyclists who helped fight fires in Chongqing — these are just a few examples of many memorable moments that were captured on camera by photographers.

At the end of every year since 2012, China Daily has selected a dozen or so photos from tens of thousands that highlight some of the year's best moments. These amazing images are compiled to create a picture page to serve as a special "yearbook" for our readers.

A couple enjoys the view of Victoria Harbor at night in Hong Kong on June 6. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the city's return to the motherland. (ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY)

Villagers attend a spring plowing ceremony in Taji village in Lhasa, Tibet autonomous region, on March 16. (DANCHEN LANZE / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Visitors watch China's Bayi Aerobatic Team perform during the Changchun Air Show in Changchun, Jilin province, on Aug 28. (KUANG LINHUA / CHINA DAILY)

Rescuers try to save a stranded whale in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, on April 19. After more than 20 hours of effort, they returned it to the sea on April 20. (ZHANG PEIJIAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

A woman high-fives a dog while biking in Shanghai on Aug 7. (GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY)

Chinese astronaut Zhai Zhigang exits the return capsule of the Shenzhou XIII spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on April 16. Zhai and his colleagues, Ye Guangfu and Wang Yaping, completed their six-month space station mission, returning to Earth safely. (YANG YING / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Figure skaters gather on the ice after performing in the gala exhibition of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in the Capital Indoor Stadium on Feb 20. (ZHANG WEI / CHINA DAILY)

Thousands of spectators watch a local basketball game at an open-air venue in Taipan village in Taijiang county, Guizhou province, on Aug 9. (CAI XINGWEN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Visitors view high-definition copies of classical Chinese paintings at an exhibition titled "Compilation of Classics in the Flourishing Age — A Comprehensive Collection of Ancient Chinese Paintings", which opened on Sept 29 at the National Museum of China in Beijing. (JIANG DONG / CHINA DAILY)

A cross-country motorcycle enthusiast transports supplies to a nearby firefighting site in Beibei district, Chongqing, on Aug 23. (LI YE / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Rescuers lead injured and trapped residents from Qinggangping village, Moxi town, to safety in Luding county, Sichuan province, on Sept 5 after a magnitude-6.8 earthquake hit the county. (CHENG XUELI / FOR CHINA DAILY)

A police officer feeds pigeons near People's Square in Shanghai's Huangpu district on May 11 amid a citywide lockdown. Due to the lockdown, which was caused by a COVID-19 outbreak, more than 500 pigeons faced food shortages. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)

An aerial photo of a tidal flat resembling a tree is taken on Aug 22 in the Jinxian section of Poyang Lake in Jiangxi province. (SHI GANGZE / FOR CHINA DAILY)