The Chinese mainland and Taiwan are set to co-host a global tour exhibition of classic paintings by Chinese masters starting from 2010, according to the organizing committee here on Thursday.

The exhibition, featuring a collection of traditional Chinese paintings and oil paintings from nearly 500 Chinese masters in the past century, will make eight stops at home and abroad.

"It's the first exhibition ever to present traditional Chinese paintings and oil-paintings together," said Huang Tsai-lang, director of the Council for Cultural Affairs of Taiwan.

A display of "color blocks versus strokes," as termed by art professor Zhang Xing with Peking University, one of the exhibition sponsors, it aims to "show to the world a full image of Chinese paintings over the past century", a statement from the organizing committee read.

Chang Yu-Ching, designer of the exhibition and deputy curator of the Taiwan-based Chan Liu Art Museum, which will host one of the shows, said, "I think we Chinese are in the best position to present our own art, and explain oriental wisdom."