Botanical garden forms inspiration for art display

The distinctive tropical landscapes of Xishuangbanna, in southwestern Yunnan province, has been attracting established painters like Zhu Danian and Yao Zhonghua since the late 1950s. Many of them spend weeks sketching and painting at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, where a great variety of plants and birds inspire artists from across the country.

Established by the famed botanist Cai Xitao in 1959, the garden, now managed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is not only a scientific base for tropical biologists, but is also "a site of artistic pilgrimage" especially for painters who specialize in the traditional Chinese art of painting flowers and birds.

When Art Meets Science, an ongoing exhibition being held at the garden's Wanglian Hotel, showcases 128 ink paintings and 10 woodcuts, which provide novel perspectives to visitors wanting to learn about nature and scientists trying to understand art.