Beijing arts and crafts on show in Taipei

Taipei, Feb. 16 (CNA) An exhibition on Beijing's modern arts and another on its traditional arts and crafts kicked off Thursday in Taipei as part of Beijing Culture Week that is being held Feb. 16 to Mar. 11 in Taiwan.

One of the exhibitions features some 40 paintings, photographs, sculptures and installation works by artists from Beijing's 798 Art Zone, while the other showcases about 200 traditional art and craft pieces from the Chinese city.

Cloisonne enamel ware, shadow plays, Beijing opera masks, palace lanterns, clay, dough and silk figurines, traditional kites, paper cuts, and Chinese musical instruments are among the displays.

In addition , 14 masters of traditional Beijing arts and crafts will demonstrate their skills at the exhibition.

"I hope the exhibition will help Taiwanese visitors gain a better understanding of traditional Chinese craft," said Wu Jingxin, the fourth-generation owner of Hong Yin Zhai, a 100 year-old shop that makes traditional Chinese musical instruments.

Intricately designed Chinese flutes, wind instrument suona and sheng, a free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes, are on display at the exhibition.

The two exhibitions will run until Feb. 21 at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park.

Since September 2006, cultural agencies on each side of the Taiwan Strait have been organizing annual culture weeks to promote artistic and cultural exchanges across the Taiwan Strait.

Wang Hui, director of the Beijing City government's information office, said at the opening of the exhibitions that she believes the cultural exchanges this year will allow new opportunities for cooperation between Beijing and Taipei.

Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong and a delegation of more than 20 high-ranking Beijing officials and 100 other people were scheduled to arrive in Taiwan later Thursday for a six-day visit to promote cultural exchanges between the two sides.

As part of Beijing Culture Week, the Beijing People's Art Theatre will perform its popular play "Li Bai" at the National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Feb. 20-23.

Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre will also stage "The Dream of the Red Chamber" at the same venue Feb. 26-29. Guo, who is expected to attend Beijing Culture Week events, will be the first high-level Chinese official to visit Taiwan after Taiwan's presidential election last month.

The 798 Art Zone is a thriving artistic community in an abandoned factory complex in the Chaoyang District of Beijing. It covers an area of 300,000 square meters and houses close to 500 art institutions and groups from around the world. In 2003, Time magazine rated the art zon