Exhibition displays Chinese seal artwork

Seal engravings and calligraphy took center stage at an exhibition that opened on Wednesday in London, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The type of art, Chinese seal engraving, was created by artist Luo Pengpeng, who is also the president of the Chinese Academy of Seal Engraving Art under the Chinese National Academy of Arts.

Seals were originally used as a signature or sign of authority, but were soon used by all social classes and across much of the rest of Asia.

As an instrument of calligraphy and painting, the seal is considered a cornerstone of Chinese fine arts. Designs are first sketched on paper and then engraved on stone, in reverse, with a knife.

The event Beautiful China Beautiful Britain at Central Hall Westminster also marks 10 years since the art of Chinese seal engraving was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, by the United Nations' Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known as UNESCO.

Luo had specially created engraved seals with the theme of China's 24 solar terms because they have also been added to the UNESCO heritage list.

The 24 Chinese solar terms is a calendar of 24 periods and climate used to govern agricultural arrangements in ancient China.

Also at the exhibition was a section of photography, including 80 covers from issues of China Pictorial magazine. The magazine was inaugurated in July 1950 since when it has been published for more than 850 consecutives issues, with its cover images depicting various aspects of life in China.