The opening ceremony of the First International Sunflower Art Invitational Exhibition is held in Bayannuur, a city in northern China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on July 22. [Photo/people.com.cn]

The opening ceremony for the First International Sunflower Art Invitational Exhibition kicked off on July 22 in Bayannuur, a city in northern China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to local media reports.

The four-week exhibition is being held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, further implement the Belt and Road Initiative -- and to strengthen cultural and artistic exchanges with countries involved in the initiative. It has been listed as a key cultural event of Bayannuur in 2019.

According to the organizers, the month-long exhibition invited 17 well-known artists from Mongolia and Russia and some renowned artists from domestic art circles to participate, and over 200 sunflower-themed traditional Chinese paintings and oil paintings with strong regional and ethnic styles will be shown at the event.

This invitational exhibition also aims to raise the profile of Bayannuur, organizers said.