Visitors at the exhibition  The Great Together. [Photo provided to China Daily]

More than 2,000 years ago, the great Chinese philosopher Kong Zi, who is known in English as Confucius, introduced the concept of datong, meaning "great community", his vision of an idealized world in which all people live in harmony and abundance despite their differences.

Millennia have passed, and Confucius' ideas are still motivating people to seek common ground, no matter how difficult the times have become. This pursuit is a main reason behind the Streams Gallery's decision to open a Beijing venue, six years after it opened in Hong Kong, and also why it has called its inaugural exhibition The Great Together.

The exhibition, which runs until Aug 20, invites viewers to examine the different styles of art on display as a presentation of authenticity and distinction. The show is an emphasis of the importance of dialogue in embracing difference and the sharing of views through art, be this in the form of pieces that depict childhood, internal struggles, reflections on the past or imagined, fanciful worlds.

A visitor at the exhibition  The Great Together. [Photo provided to China Daily]