From Michelangelo's 'Rebellious Slave' to 'the Winged Messenger of Mercury' by Christopher Le Brun, 18 replicas of renowned sculptures from the Louvre Museum in Paris are now on show in Beijing's World Art Museum.

But this is no ordinary sculpture exhibition. In fact, it's the first of its kind in China, as these exhibits are not for people to appreciate from a distance, they are designed to be touched and felt, hence the title of the show "Chu Jue (触?觉)," or literally, "Touching and Feeling."

Cyrille Gouyette, from the Louvre Museum, is the man behind the idea.

"What's unique about this exhibition is that we hope visitors can get to know an art piece through touching, rather than seeing. I believe the idea is especially helpful for the visually challenged. We want art to be equally accessible to all. We call this kind of museum' the Obstacle-free Museum'."

More than 30 visually-challenged people 'experienced' this exhibition on the first day. Peng Detong was one of them.

"We were really excited when we heard about the exhibition, and set out this morning at 6:30am. This is the first time we've heard of an exhibition for visually challenged people."

Peng is guided by a volunteer into the exhibition hall. Special rubber tracks have been laid to help those with trouble seeing find the way.

Volunteers lead Peng to the first exhibit, which he feels while they explain exactly what his hands are touching.

Wang Hongzhen is one of the helpers at the exhibition.

"You need to close your eyes yourself to really understand how to assist these visually-challenged people. Firstly, we need to describe an overall picture of the whole exhibit, and then follow their hands and explain what they are touching. We also try to recount the stories and history behind each item."

Peng is obviously thrilled by the experience.

"This is my first time to go to an exhibition like this. The precision of these sculptures is amazing. The way they sculpt the human body, even the waves of the sea, I can feel that each wave is different. Touching sculptures is usually forbidden because it's damaging for the exhibits. It's wonderful to be able to visit an exhibition like this, especially for us."

Zhang Yuping is another visitor at the 'Chu Jue' exhibition.

"Sculpture used to be something that only existed in my imagination, but this exhibition makes it tangible and vivid for us. I'm interested in art but, to tell the truth, there are not many chances like this for us to really learn about the subject. And as well as the sculptures, volunteers also explain the stories and history behind them. It's fascinating!"

According to the World Health Organization, China has more than 5 million visually-challenged people, the largest blind population in the world. Ding Qiwen from China Disabled Persons' Federation believes exhibitions like this are needed to improve the welfare of this large group.

"Visually-challenged people are among the most vulnerable of all disabled people. And activities like this enable these people to participate in society just like everybody else. I believe, with more activities like this, they can better fit in to society and enjoy a more vivid life."