Oil painting Sending the First Seamless Steel Tube to Chairman Mao, by Jin Shangyi and Fu Zhigui from 1954. [PHOTO BY HONG XIAOLE/FOR CHINA DAILY]

Following that purchase, Wang went on to amass a collection of more than 100 paintings from the period before presenting an exhibition at the Shanghai Art Museum in 2009. The collection currently has about 300 artworks that have been presented in exhibitions in Shanghai and Chongqing.

According to Liang Jiang, the head of the research institute of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in Guangdong province, the Long Museum's art collection is so impressive that he often has to borrow their works for exhibitions.

"I was one of the curators of a major exhibition of Guangdong art, and we had to borrow some paintings, including important pieces depicting Chairman Mao in the countryside, from the Long Museum," he says.

"I see that the collection at the Long Museum is making up for the deficiency of national art collections in State-owned institutions. I believe the Long Museum is leading a good trend that is worthy of praise. I know how difficult it is to achieve this."