A commemorative art exhibition of master Chinese painter Pu Xinyu (1896-1963) began last week in the Mingdao Study of the Garden of Prince Gong's Mansion in the center of Beijing.

On show are at least 40 Chinese ink paintings and calligraphy works Pu created during his stay in Taiwan, as well as some of Pu's surviving manuscripts and books, according to Zhang Ai with the Management Board of Prince Gong's Mansion under the Ministry of Culture.

Most of the works exhibited are from the collection of the Hwa Kang Museum of the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan. Other pieces are from the smaller collection of Prince Gong's Mansion.

It is the first time Pu's works have been shown outside Taiwan and in Pu's birthplace, said Margaret Chen Lee, director of Hwa Kang Museum.

Pu Xinyu was the grandson of Yixin, the former Prince Gong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Thanks to strict and all-encompassing tutoring from private teachers and also his exposure to the royal collection of ancient Chinese masterpieces, the descendant of the Qing Dynasty royal court was well versed in traditional Chinese arts, including poetry, ink painting, and calligraphy. Pu was also educated at Peking University and Humboldt University Berlin, Germany.

He is best known for his elegant landscapes, bird-and-flower, and figure paintings and widely considered a master Chinese painter on an equal footing with Zhang Daqian (1901-1984), according to Shi Shuqing, a renowned art historian and expert in the appraisal of cultural relics.

A key cultural heritage under State protection, Prince Gong's Mansion is currently undergoing renovation with a deadline for the project the summer of 2008 when the museum will reopen for visitors from home and abroad, said Zhang Ai.

Hwa Kang Museum houses well over 10,000 cultural relics and at least 100 of them are paintings, calligraphy works, manuscripts and books which once belonged to Pu Xinyu, said Margaret Chen Lee.

The art exhibition ends on September 22.

(China Daily April 30, 2005)