Ex-statesman gets seal of approval

An art exhibition featuring seal-cutting and calligraphy by former vice-premier Li Lanqing opened on Thursday at the British Museum.

Titled Contemporary Chinese Seals by Li Lanqing, the exhibition presents 109 seals and two brush-written calligraphy pieces chosen from more than 800 works made by Li in recent years.

Li, a former statesman, is also a scholar and artist. Since retiring in 2003, he has worked to return the traditional practices of seal-carving and calligraphy to their previous popularity.