On Tuesday, the Brookings Institute set off a fiery discussion on the topic of contemporary Chinese art. The conference saw Chinese artists as well as US scholars gather at the famed American think tank. Fan Di'an, director of China's Central Academy of Fine Arts, opened the discussion with a presentation on the current status of contemporary Chinese art. He said the fast-changing society is serving as a vital source for the art. The growing museum scene, art zones and art markets are a testimony to its vibrancy.

However, he noted that Chinese contemporary art is still lacking exposure in the world's arena. There is a tendency to catagorize and label these art while in fact there is much variation and diversity both in form and content.  New York based Chinese artist Xu Bing says his works are influenced by the traditional culture and encourages contemporary Chinese art to capture the energy of the burgeoning society. Experts from US museums and the Brookings Institute are also part of the talks to address China's cultural soft power, and contemporary Chinese art and tradition.