As two important Silk Road countries, China and Iran have a long history of contact and friendship. Now Iran is showing off some of its best art in China's capital Beijing. The opening ceremony of the Iranian Comprehensive Art Exhibition was held at the Yanhuang Art Museum on the afternoon of Nov.28.

Both the Chinese and Iranian governments place great import on this Comprehensive Art Exhibition. This was borne out by the presence of the Iranian Culture and Islamic Guidance minister, and the Chinese vice Culture minister at the opening ceremony.

A live show of Iranian calligraphy art injected great energy into the exhibition. Many people stopped to stare at the artist's skillful hands, and gave it their biggest praise.

Miniatures are another eye-catching part of the show. Developed over thousands of years, miniatures are a source of great artistic pride for Iran.

After the show in Beijing, the Art will do a stint in central China's Wuhan city, and then Shanghai. Chinese art lovers will be afforded the rare chance to view high quality artistic originals from western Asia.

In the following nine days, the exhibition will continue at Yanhuang Art Museum. If you're interested in the exotic Iranian cultural heritages, just don't miss the chance to have a closer look at these terrific artistic works.

(CCTV.com December 2, 2003)