Chongqing- On August 15, 2020, the second event of Famous Artists Invite You to Nanshan, part of the 6th Bauhinia Cup Cross-strait and Hong Kong and Macao Youth Painting and Calligraphy Competition (Chongqing Division), was held again in Nanshan Botanical Gardens.

Mrs. Fu Tianlin, a famous contemporary poet and winner of the Lu Xun Literature Prize, addressed the children live to share her personal story of poetic creation.

She later presented the children with bunches of flowers with a signed card featuring her Lemon Leaves poem. She explained the gift was in recognition and praise of their inheritance and development of traditional Chinese culture. She expressed her wish that the children will follow the path of art, poetry, calligraphy and painting as they grow up.

As the morning progressed, there were more renowned teachers who took the stage to share their invaluable insights. Mr. Chen Daiwei illustrated how Chinese calligraphy can also reflect the inner feelings and character of artists. Teacher Wang Yingying read and explained an ancient poem, while Teacher Miao Tingting taught the children how to interpret Chinese paintings at a more profound level.

Once the proceedings concluded in the greenhouse lecture hall, the students walked across to the bonsai gardens inside the park. Under the guidance of an art teacher, the children painted real life sketches of scenes within the garden.

The traditional art of bonsai cultivation has a long-standing history in China, and the large collection in Nanshan Botanical Gardens are of great beauty and appreciative value. Here, children spent the rest of the morning immersed in traditional culture, green surroundings, poetry and art.

Finally, students wrote messages of friendship to counterparts in Hong Kong and Macao whom they have never met. These friendship cards are full of goodwill, and will soon be sent together with a batch of lotus and bauhinia seeds. It is hoped these will help cultivate exchange between young people in Chongqing, Hong Kong and Macao.