IT is important to bridge the gap between China's classical cultural heritage and the modern lives of Chinese people, the vice director of the Forbidden City Li Wenru said at the opening of an exhibition in Shenzhen last week.

The exhibition, being held until Jan. 29, displays oil paintings and photographs by contemporary artists which have been inspired by the Forbidden City, as well as replicas of precious works of art housed in the collections of the Forbidden City and its counterpart in Taiwan.

Works by more than 20 photographers from China and abroad are on display to give visitors glimpses of the Forbidden City from different angles and different perspectives. Also on display are 28 oil paintings by Jiang Guofang, the only artist to have held an exhibition in the Forbidden City.

According to Li, the oil paintings by Jiang and the photographs are unique depictions of the Forbidden City, which boasts a collection of 1.5 million precious works of art.

Painting reproductions on display at the Artron Museum on Caitian Road include a bird-and-flower painting by Song Dynasty Emperor Zhao Ji (1082-1136), a bamboo painting by Qing artist Zheng Xie (1693-1765), and "Early Spring," a landscape by Song artist Guo Xi (1020-1109), to name just a few.

The exhibition, occupying more than 2,000 square meters in area, is free to the public.

"We chose Shenzhen, a modern metropolis, as the first stop of our ¡®Classics, Forbidden City, Impression' exhibition in the hope that fashionable young people can rediscover the charms of traditional culture," Li said.

"Of the 8 million visitors to the Forbidden City in Beijing each year, about 2 million come from overseas. This is strong evidence that the classics in the Chinese culture do have their charms and vitality in the modern world.

"Yet, compared with the huge number of the Chinese population, only a small group can enjoy the art works with their own eyes, not taking into account that the most precious works are not shown to the public even in the Forbidden City."

Li said he hoped Chinese cultural treasures will be appreciated by people.

The exhibition will travel to other cities including Taipei this year.

Editor: Wing