The Ninth Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Eighth Congress of the Chinese Writers Association convened here on Tuesday. State leaders including Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang attended the opening ceremony in the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing. About 3,300 artists and writers from all over the country are attending the four-day meetings which will conclude Nov. 25.