Chinese painting, calligraphy exhibition opens at UN headquarters

A visitor looks at paintings on display during an exhibition of Chinese paintings and calligraphy works, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, on May 27, 2014. [Xinhua/Niu Xiaolei]

A Chinese painting and calligraphy exhibition aiming to promote cultural interactions opened on Tuesday.

The event, entitled "Exhibition of Outstanding Works Created by Famous Chinese Painters and Calligraphers at United Nations Headquarters," shows dozens of masterpieces selected from all regions across China.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Wang Min, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said that Chinese painting and calligraphy are "proud jewels of the Chinese civilization and rare treasures of world art."

"They do not only reflect the aesthetics of Chinese artists, but also carry the most profound values of the Chinese nation," Wang noted.

"The ideas behind these artistic works, such as 'human and nature are one' and 'peace and harmony is the most precious,' are the mainstream values of the Chinese civilization that have provided strong impetus to the interactions between today's China and the rest of the world," he said.

For his part, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, said "the exhibition will further enhance our understanding of the tradition, culture and art of China, serve as an emblem of traditional Chinese culture, and reflect the cultural value of social concepts of the Chinese people."

He also noted that regardless of the language of the artists, art remains a universal language that everyone understands.

Therefore, Al-Nasser added, the exhibition will "help promote cultural diversity and harmony which we have tried to achieve" at the United Nations.

The two-day exhibition attracted senior UN officials, ambassadors as well as journalists from different countries.