A painting show with the aim of helping the Wenchuan earthquake zone kicked off yesterday in the Minshan Hotel in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Sponsored by the Sichuan Artists Association, Sichuan Provincial Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and the Sichuan Bureau of the Hong Kong-based Wen Wei Po, the show will last one week, according to organizers.

With the theme "Do not forget the May 12, 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake," the show displays some 100 paintings by Luo Jiakuan, a 58-year-old painting from Chongqing Municipality.

Most of his works on display are landscape ink paintings whose prices range from some 10,000 to over 100,000 yuan. All the proceeds will be donated to the Wenchuan earthquake zone, Luo said.

Luo has been a miracle in China's painting circles. He did not graduate from even a primary school. But he learned painting from master Chinese painters and became a master himself.

His works are collected in the Chinese Museum of History, the Library of Congress of the United States, and by foreign dignitaries such as the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Known as a charity painter, Luo did 22 paintings for the 2008 Paralympic Games in China and received a silver medal from its organizing committee.