MANILA, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- A Philippines-China painting exhibition, themed "In Harmony with Nature", opened in the Metropolitan Museum of Manila on Saturday in a bid to strengthen cultural exchanges.

A total of 65 paintings by five Filipino artists and five Chinese artists are presented in the exhibition, which also showed drawings created by the two countries' artists during a joint trip in Palawan of southern Philippines in September.

鈥淭his is a unique project which seeks to cultivate the artistic encounters between Chinese and Philippine artists and will foster a better understanding of mutual cultures,鈥?Joselito Campos, Chairman of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila Board of Trustees, said at the opening ceremony.

Before the opening ceremony, 10 Filipino and Chinese artists created a painting named "In Harmony with Nature" together.

Jonahmar Salvosa, one of the five Filipino artists, told Xinhua that finishing a painting with so many Chinese counterparts is an amazing experience and it benefits both countries鈥?artists through communication and collaboration.

鈥淭his is the first time of mine,鈥?said Salvosa, 鈥淚 learned a lot from Chinese artists. I think they also learned from us.鈥?/p>

Chinese artist Cai Zhixin said he now realized the Philippines is a beautiful country and "In Harmony with Nature" is the perfect theme that both countries鈥?artists can visualize.

鈥淚n the past, I didn鈥檛 know much about the Philippines and Philippine painting. After the trip to Palawan and the exhibition in Manila, I found Filipinos are enthusiastic and kindhearted,鈥?Cai said, 鈥淎nd more important, this kind of exchange program can definitely deepen our understanding of art and culture.鈥?/p>

"In Harmony with Nature" is a two-phase exhibition, organized by the Bank of China Manila Branch and in partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, the Chinese Culture and Art Association and China Daily. The Philippine leg will last until the end of October and the second phase will be in China.

All the 10 Filipino and Chinese will go to China next month and spend time on creating paintings in Liling, Hunan province. Their paintings will be showcased in October in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

鈥淚 am very excited about going to China. I saw pictures and paints of China before, but it鈥檚 only through books. Now it will be a reality," Salvosa said, 鈥淚 think I will learn more about China in this trip.鈥?/p>