Artists just like their parents

China has a long history of artists' children continuing their parents' legacies－from celebrated calligrapher Wang Xizhi and his also-accomplished son, Wang Xianzhi, 1,600 years ago to modern painter Pan Tianshou and his son, Pan Gongkai, who's also known for ink painting.

The father-to-son tradition has survived into the internet and technology eras. But the youth are often more diverse than the older generation in terms of their creations.

"Chinese artists often dedicate themselves to a single art form for a lifetime. But their children set no limitations on trying different ones," says Dong Huiping, an independent curator who organized the group show at Beijing's Gauguin Gallery.

Participating artists range from age 16 to 25. Their parents were born after the 1950s.

Displayed works include paintings, sculptures, 3-D videos, installations, porcelain and prints.

Dong's 20-year-old twin daughters also created works for the show.

Hu Bao, the elder twin, created a painting of Jesus' crucifixion using jelly drops on glass. She has painted on tablets since she completed a portrait of her mom on an iPad when she was 15.

"Our children are more open and creative than us in subjects and styles," Dong says.

Half the participants are receiving art education outside of China. The rest are enrolled in the country's top art colleges. Those who study overseas are open-minded, creative and full of fresh ideas, whereas those training in China are strong in technique, Dong says.

Edie Xu, the daughter of Xu Bing－an accomplished artist known for his large installations and prints of Chinese characters－continually experiments. The 16-year-old closes her eyes to sketch with ink.