(CFP)

Nanjing unveiled the Purple Mountain Observatory Museum on January 26 with an exhibition of paintings dedicated to Chinese traditional festivals.

(Photo from Xinhua Daily)

The museum is situated on the original site of the Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, in the expansive Zhongshan Mountain scenic area.

One of the curators and oil painters, Luo Fangyang, said that most of the 21 oil paintings in the exhibition are closely related to social customs, seasonal changes, and celestial phenomena. This exhibition will continue until early May.

PMO is China’s first modern astronomical research institution. It played an important role in supporting the inscription of Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of traditional New Year, on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity last December, providing valuable materials on the lunar calendar and its calculations, and offering suggestions for promoting the science associated with the Lunar New Year and the calendar to the public.