A China-New Zealand art exchange exhibition featuring China's unique art kicked off at the Parliament Building in New Zealand on Wednesday evening.

The exhibition, 2019 Image and Imagination, features works by 20 Chinese artists that demonstrate the country's traditional art. It also brings together 20 works of art by New Zealand artists with strong multicultural characteristics.

Guo Zongguang, director of the China Cultural Center in Wellington, said he sees the exhibition as an opportunity to strengthen ties between New Zealand and China and promote the exchange of ideas.

"This exhibition is one of the many projects undertaken as part of the 2019 China-NZ Year of Tourism. This important program has facilitated linkages up and down the country, strengthening ties between NZ and China and promoting many varied opportunities for cultural exchange and dialogue," said Guo.

"Today's exhibition will further promote the exchange of ideas. I also think the arts are especially effective in terms of creating a space for us to reflect on issues such as cultural diversity, difference, and harmony," he added.

Adrian Rurawhe, assistant speaker of the New Zealand Parliament, highly praised this exhibition as "a wonderful thing." "We have this exhibition in Parliament, where all parties can have access to, but even more than that, this place, as the People's House, people come to this building every day and enjoy the exhibition," Rurawhe said.

Michael Wood, under-secretary for ethnic communities of New Zealand, said this exhibition will boost the cultural and artistic exchanges between China and New Zealand.

"I am convinced that the key to building a community of well-being in social cohesion and harmony between different people of different cultures, faiths and ethnicities is through understanding," Wood said.

"I look around this room, I see traditional Chinese art and I see contemporary art as well. New Zealand is one of the most multicultural societies in the world. We are immensely proud of the diversity and it is a source of strength for our country. One of the ways in which we can build links and come to understand one another more is through the arts," Wood said.

The exhibition, which will be open till Tuesday, is jointly hosted by the Auckland International Art Space, the China Cultural Center in Wellington and the New Zealand parliament Arts Centre.