Chongqing - On July 12, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China and the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Chongqing-Macau Bridge, the public service activity of the Chongqing-Hong Kong-Macau Youth Nature Exploration Competition "Into the Seasons, Love All Creatures" kicked off at Nanshan Botanical Garden in Chongqing.

A bridge of cultural exchange between the youth

In the exhibition area, beautiful pictures and creative specimen paintings led the audience into "spring, summer, autumn, and winter" to experience the charm of nature. The event was divided into four sessions of Spring Flowers, Summer Grass, Autumn Trees, and Winter Medicine, attracting hundreds of thousands of young people from Chongqing, Hong Kong, and Macau. Inspired by flowers and trees, endowed with cultural symbols that date back thousands of years, a series of excellent artworks with fantastic ideas were created through eyes that seek beauty in nature.

The contest was viewed by more than 11 million people and received nearly 20 million likes. Through the competition, people explored nature, broadened their horizons, and enhanced their love for culture and nature.

The event also built a new bridge of cultural exchange between the youth of Chongqing, Hong Kong, and Macau.

"In the enthusiastic land of Chongqing, I feel the splendid and long-standing culture of the Chinese nation," said Ye Dahe, a 13-year-old student living in Chongqing, his second hometown, for three years.

When Ye was in first grade in Hong Kong, his teacher pointed to a map of China and told everyone that on July 1, 1997, Hong Kong, which had been drifting overseas for many years, finally returned to the embrace of its motherland. He said he was glad to attend the event. During the gathering and communication, he deeply felt the great affection between Hong Kong, Macau, and the Chinese mainland students.

In the following three months, the representatives of this public service competition's winning works and video works will tour Nanshan Botanical Garden, Chongqing Zoo, Chongqing Renmin Primary School, and other places. Residents and tourists can go to Nanshan Botanical Garden and Chongqing Zoo to enjoy the exhibition and appreciate the different natural scenery depicted by the youth of Chongqing, Hong Kong, and Macau.

 Qipao styling showcase to be launched

The Qipao, or cheongsam, has recently received much attention as a traditional Chinese female costume. In the opening ceremony, there was a "Chinese Qipao-Immortal Style" Supermodel Fashion Show, where the models dressed in various kinds of Qipao and walked gracefully on the runway, accompanied by Chinese traditional music. The exquisite design of Qipao vividly showed the beauty of women and provided the audience with a fantastic conventional Chinese visual feast.

The Qipao was created in the 1920s and is one of the most splendid and phenomenal forms in the Chinese long-standing costume culture.

Lala Liao, a young fashion designer from Chongqing, designed the Qipaos displayed in the show. "I hope to bring the traditional Qipao back to the daily life of Chinese people." While designing the costumes, Liao used classic Chinese-style patterns and fabrics such as silk and jacquard, bolstered by embroidery, hand-painting, beadwork, and other structural designs. To make the costumes fashionable yet traditional, Liao rooted the design in the Chinese Qipao culture gene and referred to the design philosophy of western evening dress.

The event organizer said that 20 universities inside and outside China would jointly launch the international youth Qipao styling showcase with the theme of "Chinese Qipao-Immortal Style."

(Tan Sirui, as an intern, also contributed to the report)