Guests cutting ribbon for the exhibition

 The second Chinese Young Artists' Works Exhibition was opened in Beijing on Wednesday, with a series of fine arts displaying the youths will to carry on the Chinese cultural tradition and passion for the Olympics.

   The exhibits, numbering over 100, come from artists on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions and the Taiwan region.

   Themed "prepare for the Olympics and display the Chinese civilization", the exhibition features fine pieces of painting, calligraphy and sculpture, which express the Olympic culture as well the Chinese history, social life and folkways.

   The first such exhibition was launched in 2005, involving a wide range of excellent young artists, thus the organizers decided to make it an annual event until 2008. A larger exhibition highlighting the selected works is expected to be staged on the eve of the 29th Olympic Games.

   This year's show was organized by the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League and Beijing Youth Federation. He Junke, secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech, calling for more art works to contribute to the legacy of the 2008 Olympic Games.

He Junke, secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League

A visitor watches a piece of oil painting.

Sketches on display sculpture work showing fencing skills