A rare exhibition of more than 90 works of fine art, manuscripts, and other pieces from 43 Chinese cultural icons of the 20th century opened on Saturday at the National Museum of China in Beijing.

The event, Century Masters: The Exhibition of the Works of Forty-Three Grand Masters in Literature and Arts, was launched by several national institutions including the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Chinese National Academy of Arts, and China Literature and Art Foundation.

It was organized to welcome the upcoming 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and is presented in keeping with President Xi Jinping's call in recent years for strengthening cultural projects.

The 43 masters, none of whom are still living, are household names in China, ranging from novelists Lu Xun and Ba Jin, painter Zhang Daqian and calligrapher Qi Gong, to musician Xian Xinghai and the Peking Opera icon Mei Lanfang.

"These masters are great inheritors and creators and some leading figures in Chinese culture," Lyu Zhangshen, director of the National Museum of China, said on Saturday. "They have inspired generations of followers."