Qiang artists sell paintings to fund reconstruction

CHENGDU: Visitors to the studio of Yan Jiyuan, a 107-year-old traditional Chinese painter, in a tranquil, wooded Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) courtyard in the Rongcheng Hotel here, are impressed by an art exhibition.

Titled "29 Paintings after Surviving the Earthquake and Two Artists", the exhibition, which ends tomorrow, is sponsored by the Sichuan provincial artists association and aims to find buyers for the paintings that depict the beautiful scenery of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture in Sichuan before the May 12 earthquake and the unique lifestyle of its Tibetan and Qiang inhabitants.

The exhibition is being held for the paintings' owner Datang Zhuoma and her husband Yang Ruihong to help them rebuild their home, which was destroyed in the quake.