A collection of famous Russian paintings was unveiled on Thursday in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province.

The exhibition, "Russian painting over the past 300 years," consists of 132 paintings by 104 prestigious Russian artists. All the paintings are from the Yekaterinburg Art Museum, one of the four most famous art museums in Russia.

The vice-mayor of Yekaterinburg said at the opening ceremony that these paintings show the development of Russian painting since the 18th Century.

"Russian paintings are very popular with Chinese artists, " said an old Chinese visitor. He said people in China seldom have access to so many classic Russian paintings.

Li Huarong, general secretary of the China Association for the Advancement of International Friendship, said that the exhibition is expected to further reinforce Sino-Russian cultural exchanges and friendship.

(Xinhua News Agency April 25, 2002)