The Tribute to Leonardo da Vinci in Beijing runs through Sept 8. [Photo provided to China Daily]

I was fortunate to meet another Renaissance man at the Leonardo exhibition: the person who bankrolled it and made it possible, Zhang Jingdong, chairman of Beijing Great Wonders International Culture and Technology Co. He is a well-known investor in literary and art circles and has an even more famous father, Zhang Ruiling, a renowned Chinese contemporary calligrapher.

I could tell they both were moved by the creativity of Leonardo and, despite the cost, were well aware of the potential impact of funding executive curators Feng Yubin and Macro Zhao to bring this important exhibition to China at this opportune moment in history.