[Photo provided to China Daily]

For many Chinese, their first introduction to Polish art and culture is the music of Frederic Chopin (1810-49). The country and its rich traditions that propelled Chopin to be a leading musician of his era remain quite distant and mysterious to many in the Middle Kingdom.

The diversity of Polish art and culture reflects the many aspects of Poland and its people, both in the past and today, which give a more vibrant picture than what one reads in the textbooks of politics and history.