The first National Chinese Painting Academic Exhibition will present more than 300 works, inspiring explorations into both the technique and theories of Chinese painters.

Held by the Chinese Painting Institute, the exhibition will display entries of a nationwide selection and appraisal of Chinese paintings from grassroots painters, and also contributed works from established artists. The works fall into three categories: mountains and water, flowers and birds and figures.

"Many painters are deepening their understanding of Chinese painting. With their brushes, they have not only inherited ethnic characteristics, but also enriched the humanistic spirit of the category," said the institute's chairman Guo Yicong.

The exhibition will be held at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution from April 3-7. It will later travel to Shandong, Shanxi and Fujian provinces.