She. A piece of work showed on the annual Bologna Illustrations Exhibition in China, July 11, 2016. [Photo/cri.cn]

The annual Bologna Illustrations Exhibition is being held in China for the first time and showcases 384 pieces of works from 76 artists.

Different critics and experts have their own standard of judging an outstanding illustration. Some pay more attention to artists' ability to picture stories creatively at the perspective of children. While others focus on the uniqueness, lines and colors.

Yet they all agree on one problem that some illustrators have in common: a lack of creativity. Faces and architectures that are lively depicted look paler compared to those raw or even bizarre images created by the imagination.