An exhibition of Japanese ukiyo-e painting masterpieces opened at the Beijing World Art Museum on Thursday. The month-long exhibition is hosted by the Chinese Association for International Understanding (CAFIU), showcasing a total of 100ukiyo-e paintings, more than 40 of which are first shown outside Japan. The exhibits are provided by the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum. Li Chengren, vice chairman of the CAFIU, said the exhibition was part of the activities marking the 35th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations and the 2007 China-Japan Year of Culture and Sports Exchange. Kosaka Kenji, ruling Liberal Democratic Party legislator, said he hoped the exhibition could further promote understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two countries. After the opening ceremony, Li Guixian, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, met with Kosaka and the two exchanged views on China-Japan relations. Ukiyo-e, literally meaning the pictures of the floating world, is the main artistic genre of woodblock printing in Japan. It mainly reflected the lives and pleasures of common Japanese people in Edo period from 1603 to 1867.