Attendees pose for a group photo with a large peony painting at the "Shandong Artistry" Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition Collection of Works in Vienna, Austria on May 2. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Peony paintings from Juye county, Heze city in Shandong province made a stunning appearance at the "Shandong Artistry" Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition Collection of Works in Vienna, Austria on May 2, which was held in honor of the 2023 UN Chinese Language Day.

Li Song, China's permanent representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna, and officials from UN international organizations all praised the artworks that were painted in the Chinese realist style known as gongbi.

Seven peony paintings were collected by the UN office in Vienna, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization and other international organizations.     

Co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of China to the UN in Vienna and the Shandong provincial government, the 2023 UN Chinese Language Day gave the world a deep insight into the profound culture, natural landscape and long history of Shandong, which is also the hometown of Confucius and an important hub of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The event promoted Chinese culture on to the world and enhanced the exchanges and mutual learning among different cultures.