LJUBLJANA, May 8 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition, featuring traditional and modern Chinese paintings, opened on Tuesday at the Emporium gallery in Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia.

Attending the opening ceremony of the exhibition, named "the Tao Follows the Nature," Chinese Ambassador to Slovenia Zhang Xianyi said that Slovenia is a country that is full of the cultural atmosphere while Chinese traditional paintings and calligraphy have experienced thousands of years of development.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Slovenia, Zhang said that the exhibition by Chinese artists Kang Rong and Zhang Wei will provide an opportunity for people from Slovenian and Chinese cultural circles to communicate with each other.

The Chinese ambassador also noted that the cultural exchanges are important part in China-Slovenia cooperation and communication. He expressed belief that following consistent efforts by the two countries, more and more cultural exchange events will be held in the future.

At the invitation of Confucius Institute at Ljubljana Faculty of Economics, sponsor of the exhibition, Barbara Miklic Turk, wife of Slovenian President Danilo Turk, visited the show which exhibited more than 60 pieces of works.

"This is a magnificent exhibition," the Slovenian First Lady told Xinhua,adding that "culture brings people together." She also recalled her visit in China in October 2008. "I'm very happy that Slovenia-China relations are going well."

Part of events in the Month of Chinese Culture, which began on May 7 and will run until June 13, the exhibition of Chinese paintings and calligraphy would be on display while Slovenia is holding "2012 European Capital of Culture" in Maribor, the second largest city in Slovenia.