Addressing the opening ceremony, Liang Yinzhu, Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, said: "The exhibition symbolizes the good bilateral relations between the two countries and will further enhance mutual understanding between the artistic workers of the two countries."

According to Qian Kaifu, cultural counselor of the Chinese embassy who takes charge of the exhibition, more than 150 pieces of artistic works are on show at the exhibition, including Chinese embroidery, wood cutting, Chinese brush paintings, lacquer, pottery and porcelain, cork paintings, cloisonn enamels, among many others.

"These Chinese handicrafts are so beautiful," said a woman visitor, who also expressed her interest in buying some of them. "This embroidery of rooster looks like a real one," she said, pointing to an color embroidery copied from one of China's most famous Chinese paintings "Day is Breaking As Rooster Crows" by the late Chen Dayu, a well-known Chinese painter from east China's Jiangsu Province.

Also at the opening ceremony, the Chinese ambassador presented to the Nigeria National Gallery of Art books and VCDs on the Chinese history, culture, tourism, Chinese arts and crafts, China's famous scenic spots and cultural and historical sites as well as many feature films introducing Chinese customs and habits.

The exhibition, the first of its kinds since Nigerian civilian-elected President Olusegun Obasanjo took office in May 1999, is one of the cultural exchange programs signed between the two governments of China and Nigeria, Qian said.

The exhibition is scheduled to be closed next Wednesday and move to show in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia later this month.

( eastday.com October 14, 2002)