2011 is the Chinese Cultural Year in Italy and also the 32nd anniversary of sisterhood between Milan and Shanghai. The Shanghai Week kicked off on May 23, with Shanghai Library contributing to the celebration an interesting exhibition of peasant paintings.

As a modern school of folk art taking shape in the 1950s, Jinshan Peasant Paintings are exemplary combination of modern arts and rural life. Despite its increasing popularity, the artistic creation remains unadorned, transcending the western art tradition and that of China. It draws upon the essence of decorative paintings and depicts daily life with unique techniques and aesthetic tastes.

40 pieces of paintings are selected and categorized into 4 sections, i.e., natural scenery, farming time, family life and folk customs, presenting the look of Shanghai suburb and its folk life. Visitors to Biblioteca Sormani, one of the closest partners of Shanghai Library abroad, would enjoy the special pattern and rich colors of the paintings during the week-long exhibition, especially when bearing in mind that these are the amateur works of ordinary peasants.