Getting the Big Picture

Abustling fair, jubilant dancers and an ancient gate that brings history alive— these scenes of everyday life in Africa are captured through paintings at a Belt and Road art exhibition which opened in Mianyang, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on April 15.

Five renowned Chinese artists traveled to Africa earlier this year to present the continent to the Chinese audience thousands of miles away.

The exhibition is aimed at boosting cultural exchanges among countries involved in the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, also known as the Belt and Road Initiative.

China will host the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing on May 14-15 to discuss the progress so far and future plans for the initiative with international partners. As of April 18, 28 heads of government and state have confirmed their participation. ( Photos by Wang Xiang)