An industrial arts exhibit kicked off in Beijing on October 23 to commemorate the centenary of the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, an uprising which overthrew China’s last feudal dynasty, the Qing (1644-1911), and established the Republic of China.

The artwork displayed was the best of its kind in China to memorialize the achievements and spirit of the Xinhai Revolution, according to Yang Zipeng, president of China National Arts And Crafts Society, and chief of the organizing committee which comprises the China National Light Industry Council and the central newspaper Renmin Zhengxie Bao.

Artworks depicting the historic event and New China’s developments were both included.

One Chinese sculpture about the revolution’s major leader Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), who spent most of his life pursuing his nation’s democracy and republican principle, commuting throughout Asia, the America, Europe and the Australian continent by sea, attracted much attention.

In the middle of a long, flat, broken timber from a fishing boat, surging seawaters immerse Sun’s shoulders and dark clouds blanket the sky. Revolutionary fellows with arms are charging at the enemy. Sun’s hair turns gray, while his tired face registers determination. On the piece’s right side, it reads: Tian Xia Wei Gong, from 1911 to 2011, in Chinese. This means the world is supposed to belong to the majority of the common people instead of the small minority of the feudal authority, suggesting Sun and his fellows’ efforts for this since 1911. While on its left side, it reads: Bo Ai in Chinese and Sun’s name seals, which literally means universal love. This reveals his life pursuit for peace, loving the human race, respecting different cultures from around the world and for loving his own country, which he believed everyone should live by.

An audience member observes a set of Chinese traditional paintings of Sun inside snuff bottles that were used by the Chinese during the Qing Dynasty and contained powdered tobacco.[Photo/chinadaily.com.cn/Dong Lin]

Another set of Chinese traditional paintings of Sun inside snuff bottles that were used by the Chinese during the Qing Dynasty and contained powdered tobacco, were on show.

Pieces reflecting China’s current developments included a painting called Road to Heaven, showing Chinese locals’ happiness after a railway opened in China’s less developed western region.

Works from artists from the Chinese mainland, its Taiwan province and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region are on display at the Sunshine Hall of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference until Nov 25.

By Dong Lin