展览开幕 | 长假不出京好去处：比利时国王利奥波德三世摄影展 Leopold III of Belgium Exhibition

© Leopold III Fund for Nature Exploration and Conservation

利奥波德三世于1901年11月3日出生，是阿尔贝一世国王和伊丽莎白王后的长子。他于1934年2月23日至1951年7月16日期间担任比利时国王。他曾多次坦言，如果他可以选择职业，他更愿意成为一名植物学家或民族学家。

Leopold III was born on November 3, 1901 as the eldest son of King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth. He reigned as King of the Belgians from February 23, 1934, until his abdication on July 16, 1951. He confessed many times that if he had been able to choose his profession, he would have become a botanist or an ethnologist.

从小，他就向往着遥远的土地，津津有味地阅读探险家的记述，孜孜不倦地研究地图册，在有朝一日要去的地点上做记号。1920年，他跟着父母，到巴西进行了一次正式访问，亲身体验了热带森林的奇妙。他的探险梦想就此启航。1925年，利奥波德在原比属刚果度过了七个月，探索了世界上最大的雨林之一。他能说基本的斯瓦希里语，这使他能够与当地社区交流，并深入了解他们的文化和环境知识。作为一名富有热情的摄影师，在探险过程中捕捉了许多珍贵的瞬间。利奥波德三世是环境保护和尊重土著权利、文化与传统的先驱。1933年，利奥波德在伦敦的皇家非洲协会发表了演讲，表达了对人类对环境影响的关切。“如果说有一个主题完全超越了人类的视野，那无疑就是去保护那些永恒的财产，而我们只是这些财产的临时监护人"。

As a child, he dreamt of faraway lands, devouring the accounts of explorers, tirelessly studying atlases to mark the places he wanted to visit one day. His dream of adventure began to take shape in 1920 when he accompanied his parents on an official trip to Brazil and experienced the wonders of the tropical forest. In 1925, Leopold spent seven months in the Congo, where he explored one of the largest rainforests in the world. His could speak basic Swahili, which allowed him to communicate with local communities and gain insights into their cultures and environmental knowledge. As he was also a keen photographer, he captured many precious moments during his adventures. He was a pioneer of the protection of our environment and the respect of indigenous rights, culture and traditions. In 1933, Leopold delivered a significant speech at the Royal African Society in London, expressing his concerns about human impacts on the environment. “If there is one subject altogether transcending human horizons, it is undoubtedly the preservation of those everlasting possessions of which we are the temporary guardians.”

© Leopold III Fund for Nature Exploration and Conservation

In the forest between Sakedi and Lemo, Celebes, Indonesia, 1929

© Leopold III Fund for Nature Exploration and Conservation

1951年退位后，利奥波德重新开始旅行，并在20多年的时间里致力于探险，足迹遍布美洲、非洲和亚洲的24个地区，并经常由比利时自然科学专家陪同。他拍摄了数以万计的彩色或黑白照片，这些照片现已成为具有重要价值的历史和科学文献。本次展览从其中挑选了来自13个国家（巴西、哥伦比亚、委内瑞拉、苏里南、法属圭亚那、巴拿马、哥斯达黎加、尼加拉瓜、洪都拉斯、马来西亚、印度尼西亚、新几内亚和刚果民主共和国）的40张照片，每张照片都讲述了一个正在迅速消失的世界的故事，呼吁观众反思保护这些不可替代的环境的重要性。

1972年，利奥波德创立了利奥波德三世自然探索与保护基金会。他于1983年去世。他的女儿、比利时Marie-Esméralda公主继承了他的遗志，领导着基金会继续支持全球范围的自然研究和环境保护项目。此次基金会与洪都拉斯驻华大使馆、比利时驻华大使馆合作呈现此次摄影展，旨在展示利奥波德三世国王的优秀摄影作品，并提高人们对雨林保护的迫切需求的认识。

In 1972, Leopold founded the Leopold III Fund for Nature Exploration and Conservation. He passed away in 1983. His daughter, Princess Marie-Esméralda of Belgium, leads the foundation since and continued his legacy of supporting global research on nature research and environment protection. Through this exhibition, the Foundation, together with the Embassy of Honduras and the Embassy of Belgium in China, aim to showcase King Leopold III’s remarkable work and to raise awareness about the pressing need for rainforest conservation.