Another New Year treat for art lovers in Beijing! An exhibition showing some outstanding contemporary Chinese watercolor paintings opened to the public on Sunday, at the National Art Museum of China. Sun Wei gives us a tour.

Titled "Thriving to Prosperity", the show is representative of the achievements of Chinese watercolor art in recent years. 139 pieces of works from 42 painters are on display, demonstrating the development context and academic trends of China's watercolor works since 2012.

According to Wu Weishan, director of the National Art Museum of China, in the "contemporary" context, Chinese watercolor art has made tremendous strides, as artists infuse their creations with unique Chinese characteristics and western elements.

WU WEISHAN, DIRECTOR NATIONAL ART MUSEUM OF CHINA "Since the art of watercolor first came to China more than 100 years ago, it has been melted with China's culture, art and aesthetics. Watercolor art in China has accumulated its unique flavor and charm. We've collected works of different schools and genres for this exhibition. We hope it can reflect the width and height achieved by China's watercolor artists."

The subject matters of many works are from the painters' observation and understanding of real situations in their lives.

A series of paintings themed "Coal Miners" by Zhou Gang, who's also a professor of the China Academy of Art, attracted much attention at the exhibit hall. Zhou says he's inspired by hard work of coal miners, and he hopes to record their work and lives with his brushes, before this profession is entirely replaced by machinery.

ZHOU GANG PAINTER, 'COAL MINERS' "I started painting coal miners in 2006. I have visited them every year in the past 14 years. I was surprised to find their devotion to their work, their families and the country. I was always enchanted by the moment when they came out of the dark mines, sweating and shining. As more and more modern machines replace human power, their jobs will disappear in the future. So I think I have to keep these beautiful moments with my paintings before they become extinct."

The exhibition will run through January 16th. SW, CGTN.