BEIJING: An exhibition of Pakistani carpet art collection and Chinese photography works kicked off in Shanghai to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The cultural exchange art exhibition running through August 8 is titled, “Image-Making”, featuring a total of 35 exquisite Pakistani handcraft carpets, including five dating back to the 18th Century.

They are on display along with 20 photographs by a Chinese photographer, as well as more than a dozen paintings by Chinese painters, the Global Times reported.

“The China-Pakistan economic corner is not only promoting business and economic cooperation between the two countries, but it is also a very solid platform for [the] promotion of cultural cooperation,” Hussain Haider, consul general of Pakistan in Shanghai, said, while addressing the opening ceremony.

He wished for even stronger cooperation between the two countries in culture and people-to-people interaction.

“China and Pakistan have much deeper roots in culture, art, society and the way of living other than their bilateral economic ties,” a collector of the Pakistani carpet art pieces Zubair Jan said.

He said carpet is the world’s oldest canvas painting and it was brought into China through the ancient Silk Road during Tang Dynasty (618/907) so the culture exchanges have since been flourishing.

The photography works on display created by Li Rongkai, a Chinese photographer and director of art films, are based on the ontology of cultural awareness. He took the culture of the Yi ethnic minority group as his source of inspiration.

“Through this, we have realised how profound cultural communication is between the two cradles of [the] civilisation. We have endeavoured to put the two different cultures together harmoniously, illustrating our brilliant and proud tradition and looking forward to a brighter future,” academic adviser of the exhibition Gong Zhiyun, said.

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