She found that their misunderstanding may have resulted from the fact that Chinese paintings are executed on thin rice paper and often completed with just a few brushes, which is quite unlike the oil painting that needs detailed depictions on canvas.

"I told them every single brushstroke is an accumulation of techniques and cultural attainment through dozens of years. When they actually tried with ink, they found it to be difficult. So, they came to know what I meant," Liu tells China Daily.

She learned painting at age 6, and began competing in contests and winning them two years later.

"But through all these decades, I always saw myself in a long journey of mastery with ink art, digging a little deeper each time," she says.

When Xu Guoliang, 55, and his former classmates from the CAFA established the Equivalence Fine Arts in 2013, they hoped it would be "a reservation for original ink creations that will link our ancestors' works with the modern times".

"For me, ink-wash has always been at the root of my art," he says, standing in front of one of his abstract ink landscapes displayed at the show.

Xu says he discourages paintings that are created to pander to foreigners by defaming Chinese culture.

"That is how I came up with the exhibition title (Where to Go). It's about how to stick to our traditions. It's a fight about preserving and carrying forward the soul of our nation."

If you go

9 am-6 pm, through Feb 29. Equivalence Fine Arts, Shangbao art zone, Songzhuang village, Tongzhou district, Beijing. 010-8951-5019.