On May 21, Mrs Mrs Kwasniewska, Spouse of the President of the Republic of Poland paid a visit to the Jintai Art Museum.

　　Mrs Mrs Kwasniewska thanked the support of Mr Yuan for the polish poster show and appraised his contribution for the friendly relationship between China and Poland. Mr Yuan said that it is his honor to have the world-famous art works exhibited at Jintai Art Museum.

　　The Exhibition of Polish Posters was opened on May 10, at Jintai Art Museum Beijing. Various celebrated guests about 300 attended the painting show.

　　Polish poster began to acquire the status of art at the beginning of the 20th century. Poster artists sought inspiration in many spheres of art, finding it in Japanese woodcut or Art-Nouveau style. New ideas were also derived from folk art with its typical formal simplifications and many decorative motifs transferred onto posters. At that time painters were still among poster authors and thus their style was typical of paintings. A metamorphosis was slowly and inevitably taking place. Poster was developingsintospiece of graphic art.

　　After 1990, Poland's gradual stabilization brought hope that artistic poster hidden in art galleries, museums or collector's rooms will be seen again in the streets. Still active are Walsemar Swierzy, Wiktor Sadowski, Wieslaw Walkuski, Roman Kalarus and others. Noteworthy is the fact that examples of permeation of artistic poster onto billboards also appeared. Wielsaw Rosocha, Waldemar Swierzy, Jan Mlodozeniec, Andrzej Pagowski are the first names of professional poster artists who have also made big-format forms.

　　Mr Yuan Xi kun, Member of Chinese People's Political Consultive Conference and Director of Jintai Art Museum addressed at the poster show. He pointed out that the value of culture and art lies in contacts and exchanges. Without them we could only compare culture to the life of zoo tigers that cannot breed among themselves. "Of course," he said, "cultural contacts and exchanges must follow their own pace and cannot be force. They are more like drops of water that eventually break the hardest of rocks. It's a gradual process like that of a tadpole becoming frog." At last, Mr Yaun said he believed that this exhibition would become another practical step in the process of cultural exchanges between China and Poland.

　　Background:

　　Speech at the Exhibition of Polish Posters

　　By Yuan Xi Kun

　　Distinguished guests,

　　Dear Friends,

　　The value of culture lies in contacts and exchanges. Without them we could only compare culture to the life of zoo tigers that cannot breed among themselves.

　　Of course, culture contacts and exchanges must follow their own pace and cannot be forced. They are more like drops of water that eventually break the hardest of rocks. It's a gradual process like that of a tadpole becoming frog.

　　We are honored to be able during the National Day of Poland to exhibit works representing the highest level of polish graphic arts. Their fresh and original form as well as the simple artistic language is both powerful and thought-provoking.

　　I believe that this exhibition will become another practical step in the process of cultural exchanges between China and Poland. I hope that this Polish flower will be just an indication of many other species representing the global village that will blossom in the future in Beijing' s Jintai Art Museum.

　　Thank you all!

　　Background

　　Jolanta Kwasniewska：Spouse of the President of the Republic of Poland

　　Born on June 3, 1955, in the family of Anna and Julian Konty, Jolanta Kwasniewska grew up in Gdańskswheresshe also graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Gdańsk.

　　She met Aleksander Kwasniewski whom she married in 1979. Two years later their daughter Aleksandra was born.

　　As First Lady she promotes voluntary activities and encourages others to help people with disabilities. She focuses specifically on children and tries to enrich their lives and enlarge their possibilities. With this aim she established the Foundation Communication without barriers, the main goal of which is to create a children medical centre in which marrow transplants could be performed.

　　Mrs Kwasniewska has also initiated a programme Let's Open the World for Children which makes it possible for many Polish orphans and disabled children to visit European and other countries all over the world.

　　Together with her husband she set up a special fund Help the Talented Youth Foundation to financially support and assist pupils and students who, because of family conditions or economic hardships, find it very difficult to pursue their studies.

　　She is a patron of the Polish UNICEF, the National Coalition for Breast Cancer and the foundation Adults for Children.

　　She is also a member of Comite des Sages, established by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan, which is aimed at the preparation of a global plan of action to eliminate the illicit production, trafficking and consumption of drugs.

　　In the year 2000 Mrs Kwasniewska was given The Beauty of the Soul Award by the readers of the Beauty Magazine as well as The Golden Heart Award granted by the Polish Red Cross in recognition of her charity activities. Moreover, she received the Rose of Providence for special services to the House of the terminally-ill, Big Golden Heart awarded by the Foundation of the Help for Handicapped Children and Young People, Children's Friend Award granted by the Children's Oncology Unit at one of Warsaw hospitals as well as Hippocrates Award for her contribution to the development of family health care. In May 2001 Mrs Jolanta Kwasniewska was bestowed with the Grand Cross of thesgroupsof Isabella the Catholic.