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Visitors admire paintings at the Li Zihou Painting and Calligraphy Institute in Haiyan county, Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/jiaxingren.com]

The Li Zihou Painting and Calligraphy Institute, named after a famous contemporary painter, opened on Dec 12 in Haiyan county, Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province.

It is the first professional art museum and painting and calligraphy institute in the county.

More than 60 people attended the opening ceremony and donation exhibition.

The institute covers 3,400 square meters and has a variety of facilities, including one permanent exhibition hall for Li Zihou's works. Li Zihou, born in Haiyan in 1938, is known for his fine brushwork freehand paintings of Jiangnan women.

In September, Li and his wife donated 553 paintings and calligraphy works to the people's government of Haiyan. The institute was established to thank them for their generosity and love for their hometown.

The institute will host various art exhibitions and academic forums on Chinese painting, as well as other cultural and artistic activities. The first exhibition features Li's works. In addition to personal paintings and calligraphy works donated by Li and his wife, the exhibition also includes works collected by the National Art Museum of China, Zhejiang Art Museum and China Academy of Art Museum.

Li said he hoped his paintings and calligraphy could inspire more people to become artists.