Sun Lijun, vice president of the Beijing Film Academy, said that special effects created by Weta are often ahead of their time. "I was shocked when I visited Weta Workshop 10 years ago," said Sun. "The exquisite movie props made me think about the creativity and ingenuity behind them." Sun acknowledged the rapid development of Chinese film industry, but said it was still necessary to learn from the experiences of others.

Wuzhen has launched a program entitled "A Future in the Visual Arts" in a bid to attract visual artists to the water town. Chen Xianghong, president of Wuzhen Tourism said the historic town needs to be rejuvenated from different perspectives. Along with Wuzhen Theater Festival, Wuzhen International Contemporary Art Exhibition and other cultural events, the exhibition is part of moves to boost cultural exchanges in Wuzhen.

Aimed at cultivating talents in the arts and provide supports for today's artists, a budget and a design contest were established at the opening of the exhibition.

A visitor has her photo taken with a model of Smeagol, Gollum's better half, from "Lord of the Rings" at the exhibition in Wuzhen. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Smaug keeps a watchful eye over visitors to the exhibition. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]