An exhibition displaying some 80 pieces of thangka, a traditional Tibetan painting genre with Buddhism theme on cotton or silk pieces, lifted its curtain on Wednesday at the Cultural Palace of Nationalities in Beijing. It will run through Nov 22.

The exhibits are from Shangri-La Thangka Institute, which was founded in 2007 by Kelsang Dawa, an artist who is based in Shangri-La, Yunnan province.

Born in Rebgong, a region in Qinghai province often considered "hometown of thangka", Kelsang Dawa, 36, once spent one decade learning the art form in a monastery.

The exhibition is opened for the public for free.