A visitor enjoys artwork at National Art Museum of China. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

The realistic approach continues to be the center of curriculum for those who attend or teach at Ai's alma mater, says Ma the headmaster.

Located in the Yanjiao Economic and Technological Development Zone, some 30 kilometers from Beijing's city center, the boarding school will hold its annual entrance exams in early May. It plans to enroll 200 students, while there are about 1,200 hopefuls coming from across the country to take the test, says Lu Peng, a visitor to the exhibition who runs a private coaching classroom for these applicants near the school.

Lu's 20-odd students prepare for text exams in other training classes in the morning, and brush up with their basic painting skills in Lu's class for nine to 10 hours a day.

"The school is where these gifted students can sharpen their eyes to appreciate art. They frequently tour the 798 art district and the many museums downtown; they talk about what Damien Hirst has been doing. They have access to better education resources that will guarantee them advantages on the entrance exams for the art colleges," he says.

If you go:

9 am-5 pm, until April 8. National Art Museum of China, 1 Wusi Dajie (Avenue), Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6400-1476.