To celebrate the upcoming Year of the Dragon, a paper-cutting exhibition themed on China's dragon culture, showcasing exquisite works from 100 folk artists nationwide, kicked off at the Beijing Fengshang Art Museum on Monday.

The exhibition, co-hosted by the Institute of Natural and Cultural Heritage Research at Nanjing University, the China National Culture Foundation, the bureau of culture and tourism in Beijing's Dongcheng district and the Beijing Dongcheng District Culture Center, will run until Jan 29.

"The dragon is the totemic symbol of the Chinese nation, representing wisdom, courage, strength, prosperity and auspiciousness," said Chen Jing, deputy director of the Institute of Natural and Cultural Heritage Research at Nanjing University.

After nearly a year of preparation, the organizers have collaborated with paper-cutting inheritors of intangible cultural heritage and folk artists from across the nation to produce hundreds of artworks centered around the theme of dragon culture.

A curated selection of 200 exquisite pieces, mainly depicting dragons in different forms and styles, is now on display at the inaugural exhibition in Beijing. Subsequently, the exhibition will embark on a tour, visiting locations such as Shenzhen, Guangdong province, and Linfen, Shanxi province.