Making the cut: Prints by prominent woodblock artists on show in Beijing

"Woodcuts account for an indispensable part of Chinese artistic tradition, and the heights that the genre achieved in history went on to inspire modern Chinese artists, those participating in the New Woodcut Movement for example, to create original pieces to represent the changing times," says Li Honglin, director of the academy's art museum.

Many of the exhibits on show are donations by resident artists of the academy over the years. These include a portrait of Lu Xun, engraved in 1936 by Li Qun, an avid follower of the New Woodcut Movement.

The print, measuring only 10 by 12 centimeters in size, portrays the great writer in his prime, set against a shelf full of books — it symbolizes Lu Xun's firm belief in the role of writing in exposing the darkness of society and in encouraging people to read.

Xu Kuang, another artist on show at the exhibition, is a leading figure of his generation, whose work depicts the social transformations after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. In a career spanning 50 years, Xu created well-known woodcuts such as Rural School, a depiction of rural education, and Master of Himself, highlighting improvements to the lives of the Tibetan people, both of which are on show.

Prints of the two pieces were also shown at an exhibition that ended on Tuesday at the National Art Museum of China, which navigated the world of the 85-year-old artist's engravings.

Wu Weishan, director of NAMOC, says that Xu's work celebrates "the beauty of ideals, of hard work and of creativity", which is deeply rooted in the soil of his home.