A six-day grand exhibition comprising 290 pieces of contemporary Shanghai-school calligraphy, a key component of China's modern artwork, opened at the National Art Museum in Beijing on Thursday

A day before the official opening, China's top legislator Wu Bangguo visited the exhibition.

Calligraphy has long been considered an art form on a level with painting. The Shanghai-school, known as "Haipai", rose to fame at the beginning of the 20th century, when the country, under feudal rule, was staring down the barrels of foreign invasions.

Master calligraphers of the time broke away from old concepts of calligraphic art to create a new form. Most of these reformists lived in Shanghai, then already the country's business hub and largest port city.

The Shanghai-school continued to develop throughout the century thanks to the work of generations of Shanghai calligraphers.

The Beijing exhibition contains masterpieces from the early 20th century by Zhao Zhiqian, Wu Changshuo, Shen Yimo, and Kang Youwei. Some rising stars will benefit from having their works displayed alongside the old masters.

The exhibition is expected to end on Jan. 16th.

(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2007)