An art exhibition titled “Karamay in May” arrived at the exhibition hall of Beijing’s China National Academy of Painting on Aug 22.

The exhibition’s opening was well-attended and over 500 art lovers gathered to see the 66 paintings and works of calligraphy created by both Chinese and American artists.

Zhang Hongyan, mayor of Karamay, attended the opening ceremony and addressed the audience with a heartfelt speech that discussed the purpose of the exhibition and the importance of art more generally.

“We hope people will enjoy the beautiful artwork on display. We believe it is fundamentally important to stage this type of cross-cultural exchange in order to promote cooperation between Karamay and the rest of the world.”

The Karamay art exhibition has been supported by the Karamay city government and the China National Academy of Painting. It was successfully exhibited at the United Nations headquarters and West Windsor, United States in June.

The initiative to bring Karamay art to the world is in its third year of operation and hopes to expand further in the future. In March 2015 Karamay signed a cultural exchange agreement with West Windsor authorities and the two are enjoying a fruitful and mutually beneficial relationship.