China's Palace
Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, is staging an
exhibition of paintings by renowned Chinese masters, many of which
are shown to the public for the first time.
The Jan. 28 - Apr. 23 exhibition shows 89 masterpieces of 42
famous Chinese painters, including Wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi, Zhang
Daqian and Xu Beihong, depicting natural scenery, figures, flowers
and birds.
The venue of the exhibition is the newly-renovated Wuying
Palace, which was destroyed by fire during the Ming and Qing
dynasties (1368-1911) and had been renovated for nine times since
the Palace Museum was founded in 1925.
With tremendous ideological and social changes in the first half
of the 20th century, Chinese painting has become a major carrier to
record the great transformation as some painters stick to the
traditional way of drawing and others turn to western
techniques.
On the sidelines of the exhibition, academic workshops will be
held by the ancient book and painting study center of the Palace
Museum.
(Xinhua News Agency January 31, 2006)