The biennale exhibition Photo: Courtesy of Yu Yang

The first Chinese Freehand Brushwork Oil Painting Biennale kicked off in Changchun, Northeast China's Jilin Province, on Saturday. The biennale includes a series of exhibitions at three museums across the city, competitions for outstanding paintings as well as academic seminars.

The exhibitions feature 320 paintings from 223 artists, 11 of which won awards for their works. 

Fan Di'an, president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, noted that China's freehand brush work oil painting school has developed rapidly over the past 100 years, combining Western oil painting techniques with Chinese philosophy.