Senior Chinese leader visits Olympic art show

BEIJING-- Chinese top political advisor Jia Qinglin paid a visit to an Olympic art exhibition on Wednesday.

The Olympic Fine Art 2008, sponsored by the International Olympic Committee, carried the theme of China and the world and highlighted the concept of humanism in the Olympics.

More than 800 artworks, selected from nearly 10,000 candidates from about 40 countries and regions since the event was kicked off in January, were on display in the China International Exhibition Center, which opened on Monday and will last until mid September.

Jia is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

He also visited a Tibetan Thangka drawing show Wednesday, stressing that the Chinese government has been paying great attention to the protection and development of ethnic minority cultures and holding the Tibetan painting show during the Olympics period is of great significance.

The exhibition, displaying 260 selected Thangka paintings and many pictures, opened on July 30 at the Cultural Palace of Nationalities on the Chang'an Avenue and will finish on Aug. 20.

Source: Xinhua