Remembering a hero

Mao once said that three books were deeply rooted in his memory and built his belief in Marxism－the Chinese version of the Communist Manifesto translated by Chen Wangdao, The Class Struggle by the Czech-Austrian philosopher Karl Kautsky and A History of Socialism by Thomas Kirkup.

The three books are also on display.

Meanwhile, the exhibition also dwells on Marx's family life, a deep love between him and his wife, Jenny von Westphalen, with whom he had seven children.

The exhibition also showcases 24 oil paintings on Marx by Chinese artists, with one of them depicting a touching family scene in which Marx read William Shakespeare's works to his wife and daughters.

The work was produced by veteran oil artist Sun Jingbo, a retired professor from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, who at 74 is the oldest featured painter at the show.

"My generation grew up with a firm belief in Marxism," Sun says. "His ideas are what I admire and pursue for. And in this painting I want to highlight his other side as a caring husband and father. The harmony of his family and his devotion to his children's education also constitute the greatness of his personality."

Jin Rui, 45, the youngest artist on show, executed a colored ink painting showing an aspiring young Marx communicating with his schoolmates in Trier.

"When I painted this work, the melody of The Internationale kept running through my mind," he says.