Twenty college students from across the nation have became first recipients of an art scholarship of 10,000 yuan ($1,490) each.

The scholarship is funded by China Guardian, the country's art auction titan, and named after Xu Bangda, 99, an authority on Chinese painting and calligraphy who has been engaged in art appraisal for decades. It is aimed at rewarding excellence in museology, archaeology and fine arts and promoting higher education in these majors.

Chen Dongsheng, founder of Guardian, said he hoped the scholarship would encourage more students to inherit the mantle of Xu's devotion and professionalism.