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To mark the 30th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, the Exhibition of Woodblock Prints by Judy Ongg, co-sponsored by the CPAFFC and the China-Japan Friendship Association, was mounted at the National Art Museum of China from September 17 to 25. Sun Jiazheng, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, Jing Dunquan, vice president of the CPAFFC and the CJFA, Jackie Chan, famous Hong Kong Film star, Dhanin Chearavanont, chairman of Chia Tai Group of Thailand, and Hisashi Michigami, minister of the Japanese Embassy in China were present at the opening ceremony and cut the ribbon.

Judy Ongg is a well-known versatile artist. Born in Taiwan, she emigrated to Japan with her parents when she was two years old. She is not only a singer and an actress with brilliant achievement, but also a woodblock print artist of high attainment. She started to learn woodblock printing at the age of 25 with Japanese artist Katsue Inoue. She worked very hard. Her prints, some in black and white and some in bright colours with unique perspective and exquisite expression, have formed a distinctive artistic style of her own.

The 52 prints on display were representative works of different periods carefully selected from what Judy Ongg had created in the past 30 years and more. Many of them received awards in Japan, among which The Embrace of Red and Green won the Outstanding Award at the 37th Japan Fine Arts Exhibition. The present exhibition shows the artists devotion to art, respect for culture, love of nature and understanding of life.

In her opening address, Judy Ongg said that her dream of many years to mount a one-person exhibition of her works at the National Art Museum of China had come true. “I hope that I will have opportunities to come back to China in the future and make my small contributions to the cultural exchange between China and Japan,” said she.

Judy Ongg is concerned about Chinas development and the cause of Sino-Japanese friendship. She takes an active part in various exchanges between China and Japan. The devastating earthquake in Sichuan this year caused great loss of human lives and property. She contacted personages of various circles in China, Japan and the Republic of Korea and organized a charity concert in Tokyo in July, at which nearly 28 million Japanese yen (about 1.79 million RMB yuan) were raised. She took the opportunity of coming to Beijing to donate the money to the disaster areas.