Fifty-five artists picked up their brushes on the weekend and painted the first strokes on a traditional Chinese landscape painting titled Fantasy of New Beijing.

The 55-meter-long, 2-meter-wide scroll, with Tian'anmen Square at the center, is to include both traditional scenic spots such as the Great Wall and the Zhoukoudian Peking Man site, and new landmarks like the China World Trade Center.

The creation of the artwork was organized by the Beijing Artists' Association.

It's to be finished before October 1 when the People's Republic of China celebrates its 55th birthday, said Wang Mingming, chairman of the association.

Wang said the artists are facing great challenges such as finding ways to harmonize the different styles of the 55 artists.

They also have to work to choose which attractions of the city to put into the picture and link the attractions in a natural and harmonious way.

"It's, after all, not a map, but an artistic description of a fantastic city," he said.

(China Daily May 8, 2004)