Visitors to the museum of Beijing Art Academy are being treated to an exhibition which conjures up their childhood memories. Lianhuanhua, palm-sized picture books by one of the country's most prominent comic artist He Youzhi, are on display.

For any Chinese over than 35, the mere mention of Lianhuanhua books is likely to generate feelings of nostalgia.

The picture-story books were a major source of entertainment when they were children.

For most of the visitors to the museum of the Beijing Art Academy, the 150 pictures by the master artist He Youzhi are a trip down the memory lane.

Professor Hu Bo, Central Academy of Fine Arts, said, "I would say every Chinese of my age has a fascination with Lianhuanhua. We didn't have much choice of entertainment the 1950s. With vivid illustrations and simple captions, He Youzhi opened a window for us to the outside world. He sort of turned the Lianhuanhua into one of the quintessential forms of Chinese culture."

The rise of Lianhuanhua's popularity in the 1920s came with the rise of lithographic printing introduced to Shanghai from the West.

Shanghai comics journals in the 1920s featured artwork that usually depicted traditional stories from myths or folklore. The illustrated stories were originally targeted children and marginally literate readers.

The golden era of Lianhuanhua was between 1940s and 80s. Its foremost artist was He Youzhi. The 87-year-old began to draw comic strips in 1949. He created many landmark works, including "Xiao'Erhei's Marriage", "Li Shuangshuang" and "The Great Changes in Countryside."

The exhibition is a tribute to the six-decade career of the visionary artist, as well as to an unassuming art form which has been replaced by flashy modern entertainment.