An art exhibition featuring Zhejiang's life aesthetics opens in Taitung county, Taiwan on May 12. [Photo/Zhejiang Museum]

An art exhibition featuring the life aesthetics of Zhejiang opened in Taitung county, southeast Taiwan on May 12 as part of the Taiwan - Zhejiang Cultural Festival.

Themed on "music, chess, calligraphy and painting" and "poetry, wine, flower and tea", the exhibition demonstrates the profound culture incubated in Zhejiang province and presents the elegant aesthetics of life in Jiangnan (region south of the Yangtze River) to Taiwan residents by displaying an assortment of exhibits such as perfumes, tea, Chinese zithers, ceramic artworks and silk fabrics.

On the sidelines of the exhibition on the first day, staff members from Zhejiang Museum also provided visitors with lectures on China's calligraphic art and old drinking vessels.

Zhejiang is a cradle of China's time-honored Wuyue culture. People here have cultivated special tastes for beauty in architectures, furniture, clothes, food and articles of daily use when seeking a better life over the long history. They applied the aesthetics in the creation of literatures, paintings and calligraphies as well, leaving valuable cultural assets to following generations.

At the opening ceremony of the exhibition, officials from Zhejiang and Taiwan poured leaves of Longjing tea (a kind of green tea) and red oolong tea, which are distinctive in the two regions, together into an urn to extend their expectations for closer ties in the future.

Justin Huang, magistrate of Taitung hailed the art exhibition as a gift from Zhejiang.

Lai Yingjie, executive deputy director of Zhejiang's publicity department, said he hoped there would be more cultural exchanges between Zhejiang and Taiwan and the cultural development in both regions could benefit more people.

The exhibition, open free of charge, will last till May 25 in Taitung county and from May 29 to June 12, it will be staged at Jinwen University of Science and Technology in New Taipei city.

Lai Yingjie (left), executive director of Zhejiang's publicity department admires the items at the exhibition in Taitung, Taiwan on May 12. [Photo/Zhejiang Museum]