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Heartfelt renderings

The flower-and-bird genre is one of the three major themes of classic Chinese painting. Through the depiction of flowers, plants, birds, insects and other living creatures, artists get to understand the fundamental rules of nature, the beauty and spirituality of it and imbue the subjects under their brushes with good qualities and morals, as well as the wishes and ambitions in their hearts.

Beauty is in the Heart, an ongoing exhibition at the National Art Museum of China, shows 13 flower-and-bird paintings by reputed artists drawn from its collection and runs through to Jan 2.

Featured artists include Wang Xuetao, who is known for his meticulous brushwork and vibrant and graceful color arrangement, Lin Fengmian, who was among the first Chinese to study art in Europe in the early 20th century and was able to blend the artistic temperaments of the East and the West in his work, and Xu Beihong, who drew animals to bring hope and courage to his people.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6400-1476.