Art Beijing 2019 has kicked off its annual event at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center in Beijing. The 4-day art expo is expected to attract thousands of art fans with pieces from around the world. Li Qiong reports.

If you want to follow the newest trends in the art market, coming to the annual Art Beijing is a good choice.

Entering its 14th year, the expo has become an important gathering for art lovers, and could even reflect the change in people's way of living.

DONG MENGYANG FOUNDER, ART BEIJING "Fourteen years ago, it was an expo on contemporary art only, but has developed into a multi-culture one nowadays. The biggest change I've found is that buyers are not only art insiders any more, but ordinary people as well. They'd like to purchase something as decorations for their home, which means a big step forward in people's spiritual pursuits."

This is quite true. Many visitors come with their family members and are looking for something for their house, which is nice and affordable. And for those who don't own property yet, the expo is a good place to prepare their to-do-list.

WANG MINYI VISITOR "I feel it's a pity that there are so many good works of art, that spending an afternoon is not enough to digest them all. I think it would be romantic to decorate my bedroom with some paintings. Van Gogh's self portrait, my favourite. I'd like to do that some day in the future."

This year, Art Beijing involves nearly 200 exhibiting companies from 20 countries and regions.

Oliver Zhang is one of them. He's promoting the cartoon painting of a young Japanese artist called Chihiro Makahara, which have won acclaim for being full of imagination and full of stories. These 3-D copies of her paintings have attracted quite a number of young visitors.

OLIVER ZHANG, CHAIRPERSON TAIWAN ART GALLERY ASSOCIATION "The artist has given vitality to every one of these cartoon characters. Her works are getting popular and have been exhibited at different international expos. This is the second time we've promoted them at Art Beijing, and have gained a few cooperation opportunities."

LI QIONG BEIJING "I've just finished the tour in the main exhibition hall. And if you are also a fan of exploring cutting-edge art forms, this unit outside is something you can't miss. Everything here looks so futuristic, involving different forms of art pieces of 22 artists. Visitors could get a message that art is not something just on display in museums any more, but could be anything within touch in our daily life."

These sculptures exhibited outside are a series of public statues. Besides seeking trade opportunities or purchasing some collections, people should also be provided more chances to appreciate art for free, a concept this year's Art Beijing aims to raise. LQ, CGTN, BJ.