LONDON - A festival of Chinese film, documentaries, and art which opened in London on Saturday will bring the changing face of China to a wider audience.

"They provide people who are interested in China a very rich resource for research about Chinese social development," said Zhan Xuhua, co-organizer and art director of the festival.

The festival, in its third year, has expanded to its largest size yet.Subjects covered include mental health, Chinese opera, punk music and hospitals in China.

There are also a series of talks and events showing the rapid change of China and how documentary makers changed the perception of China.

"Thanks to the support of King's College, we have been able to invite artists and directors to the festival for talks and panel discussions. These are important because they help audience understand the films and the art," Zhan said.

The festival, organized by China Culture Connect in partnership with King's College (part of London University) runs until June 1.