A viewer appreciates the artworks at the Chinese Charity Museum. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

The 2025 National Female Calligraphers and Painters Invitation Exhibition was unveiled at the Chinese Charity Museum on March 7 to celebrate International Women's Day and will continue until March 29.

This exhibition invited 70 female artists from the domestic calligraphy and painting circles to participate, including 36 in painting and 34 in calligraphy, showcasing nearly 100 outstanding works.

The works cover various categories, such as traditional Chinese painting, oil painting, printmaking, watercolor, and ceramics, and involve themes including landscapes, figures, flowers, and birds.

With exquisite brushwork and vivid artistic conception, these female artists fully display their abundant creative talents, embodying the heroic spirit of women who are no less capable than men.

Viewers discuss the artworks on display at the Chinese Charity Museum. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

At 75, Wu Gang, an exhibition viewer, still holds a passion for art. "I love attending calligraphy and painting exhibitions. It enhances my aesthetic abilities, broadens my horizons, and uplifts my spirits," she said.

In addition to appreciation, she also learns calligraphy and painting. Especially in painting, she enjoys incorporating auspicious elements like flowers and birds into her works and has participated in several municipal calligraphy and painting exhibitions.

As a woman, Wu pays special attention to the works of female artists. She says, "We, our women, should be able to discover beauty, pursue beauty, appreciate beauty, and even create beauty as we please, investing our energy in the things we love."

On the opening day, Du Yang, vice-president of the Suzhou Printmaking Institute and a representative practitioner of the national intangible cultural heritage – Taohuawu woodcut New Year prints, was invited to Nantong. He conducted a public experience class on the craft for the Nantong audience.