A Chinese painter's exhibition, named "The Rebirth of the Classics: Chao Ge", opened on Thursday at the Vittoriano Complex in Rome.

Vincenzo Vita, the culture councilor of the Rome province, said the authority wanted to help spread Chinese culture in view of the expected arrival of some 50 million Chinese tourists over the next five years.

This exhibition will last until June 23. The artist Chao Ge is a master of the landscape and of the portrait in particular.

Unlike the other Chinese artists who bowed to the influence of the former Soviet Union and European impressionists, Chao Ge started with the slogan of learning from the masters to hone his skills at producing especially well-defined expressive lines and pure colors.

(Xinhua News Agency June 9, 2006)