HANGZHOU, July 14 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition displaying more than 100 items related to Honore de Balzac, an eminent French novelist and playwright, was launched Sunday in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province.

The exhibits include manuscripts, stage photos and posters of films adapted from Balzac's works, and several portraits of Balzac by different artists.

Yves Gagneux, curator of Maison Balzac, said it was the first Balzac exhibition ever held on the Chinese mainland.

Balzac is generally accepted as the father of the modern French novel. He is most famous for The Human Comedy, a vast series of over 90 novels and novellas featuring more than 2,000 characters.

Gagneux said the 19th century French writer was a good old friend of the Chinese people, and such Sino-French cultural exchange was beyond the imagination of generations of literary enthusiasts.

Jointly launched by Paris-based Maison Balzac and Muxin Art Museum in Wuzhen, the exhibition is being held in the museum and will run until the end of October.