Intl. service center offers expats Chinese painting class

Shenzhen Hongshan International Service Center in Minzhi Subdistrict gave a free online class Saturday to share knowledge about Chinese painting and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

It was one of the free Chinese culture classes that the center has been offering since April this year and the center is planning more online and offline Chinese culture classes through the end of this year. With a variety of themes, these events are designed to help build an international neighborhood and create a multicultural atmosphere.

Craftwork teachers Jing Yan (L) and Zoey Chen livestream the procedures of painting a chrysanthemum in the Chinese way at the Hongshan International Service Center in Minzhi Subdistrict on Saturday. Photos courtesy of Hongshan International Service Center

The online event that took place Saturday allowed attendees to paint a chrysanthemum in the Chinese way, according to Zoey Chen, one of the teachers. 

At the beginning of the class, the teachers introduced some background information about Chinese painting, including the so-called “four stationery treasures of the Chinese study,” i.e., the Chinese writing brush, ink stick, rice paper and ink stone.

Attendees showcase their works.

A total of 340 participants, included expats from the United States, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, Ghana, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Zimbabwean, gathered to learn about the Chinese traditional culture in detail and about the painting steps. Michael Williams, one of the attendees, invited his family to join the class.

Michael Williams holds his painting.

Minzhi Subdistrict is among the first batch of international blocks designated by the city government for building an international city. To better serve the expats in the subdistrict as well as elsewhere, the subdistrict established the Hongshan International Service Center and has initiated a series of cross-cultural activities. The center said it hopes to contribute to the building of the international blocks through these public Chinese culture classes.