Enjoying Beauty of Culture and Cheer for Charity

Over 300 people， including many disabled， from the United States， Britain， Australia， Japan， the Republic of Korea (ROK) and another 12 countries arrived in Jinan on September 25， 2011 to take part in the annual Shandong International Culture Exchange Week， co-sponsored by the Shandong Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (SPPAFFC) and the Shandong Disabled Persons’ Federation (SDPF).

Chinese and foreign artists gathered together in the “city of springs” to learn about Qilu culture (Qilu means Shandong)， exchange skills， spread friendship， promote charity and appreciate cultures of different countries.

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony was held on the morning of September 28 in the Shandong Special Education School (SSES)， marked by an address from provincial Deputy Governor Guo Zhaoxin. Shandong， he said， was one of the important birthplaces of the Chinese nation with long history and brilliant culture. The Culture Exchange Week was of great significance， enabling Chinese and foreign artists to learn from each other and show care and love for the disabled. Shandong would make vigorous efforts to publicize Qilu culture and the culture of charity， strengthen cultural exchanges to deepen mutual understanding and promote cooperation.

Chido Yamazaki， a member of the Japan-Shandong Culture Exchange Committee and representative of Japan Nichige Art Institute， led a 33-member delegation from eight calligraphy and painting organizations. He said that， through the Culture Week， Japanese artists would know more about Qilu culture and have exchanges with their peers from other countries — an unforgettable experience.

Jeon Hae-Jin， President of the Korea Jeollabuk-do Art Association for the Disabled， delivered his speech in a wheelchair pushed by others onto the platform. He said excitedly that he very much appreciated the work of the SPPAFFC and SDPF in giving handicapped artists a chance to learn skills on the international stage and open a window for the disabled to integrate into society and take part in international exchanges.

Anastase Hagenimana， a Rwandan expert and representative of the honorary citizens of Shandong， spoke in Chinese about his love for Qilu culture. He said that he had worked and lived in Shandong for six years， and as a representative of the honorary citizens of Shandong， he had the duty and obligation to act as an envoy of cultural exchanges to export Qilu culture to Africa and bring African culture to Shandong.

Art Performances

The teachers and students of the art group of the SSES prepared special performances for the Culture Exchange Week. The first one was a female group dance Who Wouldn’t Speak Well of His Native Place. The graceful dancing steps and lively movements showed the beauty of the vast Qilu region. The vigorous male group dance Life Nirvana showed the strength and vigor of life. Careful observers might have noticed hands waving at the four corners of the stage. Only the sign language teachers who directed the children’s dances knew that all the performers were students with impaired hearing. The dance Bamboo under the Moonlight performed by the hearing-impaired students， the flute solo New Songs of Herdsmen performed by a student with visual impairment and the chorus Beautiful Life sung by students with damaged limbs won prolonged applause. The teachers and students of the art group dressed in Tang suits， wedding dresses， uniforms and sports wear designed by the handicapped students themselves gave a fashion show Blaze of Color， bringing cheers from the audience. This performance with a unique cultural feature performed by handicapped persons left a beautiful and unforgettable impression.

Loving Care Shown Through Calligraphic Works and Paintings

During the week， 160 pieces of calligraphic works and paintings created by Chinese， Japanese and Korean artists were displayed at the SSES. The artists of the three countries had a gathering at which they demonstrated their skills in calligraphy and painting and learned from each other by exchanging views and experiences. Lee Moon-soon， a Korean painter from Jeollabuk-do， fully concentrated his attention， seemingly lost in thought， and then painted swiftly; in a moment a picture of a galloping horse appeared on the paper. The magnificent works created by Guo Li， a handicapped calligrapher in Shandong Province， attracted many. The calligraphic works of elegant running style by Japanese calligrapher Daiko Mochizuki were also eagerly sought out. After the gathering， the artists of the three countries decided to donate all the works to the SSES.

Calligraphy Witnesses China-Japan Friendship

The Japanese calligraphers’ delegation also went to Tai’an to attend the opening ceremony of the China-Japan Friendship Calligraphy Park in the Taishan Stone Engraving Garden of the Shandong Vocational College of Clothing. The Chinese and Japanese calligraphers created excellent works aiming to carry on the traditional cultures of the two countries and serve as evidence of deep friendship.

Watching Japanese Tea Ceremony

Osyu Nagai， master of Urasenke Tradition of Tea Ceremony， and other Japanese experts of tea ceremony brought the Japanese traditional way of preparing and drinking tea to the events. Dressed in kimono， they performed the tea ceremony and taught the students of the school the intricate skill from grinding tealeaves， cleaning the tea set and preparing tea and refreshments. The dance-like rhythm and elegance of their movements， the fragrance of the tea and the pure and fragrant flavor of tea in the cups demonstrated fully and vividly the harmony， tranquility and elegance of the Japanese tea ceremony.

Appreciation of Folk Handicraft Art

Through visiting the studios of tie-dye， enamel， ceramics， wood carving， oil painting and embroidery in the SSES， the Chinese and foreign guests came to know more about Chinese traditional arts and crafts. In each studio they asked in detail about its work， watched the students working， and talked with and gave some guidance to the students. They greatly admired the traditional hand-woven tie-dyed cloth in blue and white color， the vivid and lifelike pottery figures， simple yet exquisite wood sculptures， elegant oil paintings and superb embroidery made by the students.

Gathering Materials for Creation in Shandong

The Japanese delegation of calligraphers and painters and the delegation of the Korea Jeollabuk-do Art Association for the Disabled went to Tai’an， Qufu， Zaozhuang and Tengzhou to learn about folk customs， collect materials for their creation， seek inspiration and do sketching. Everywhere they went， they took out their sketching books to capture the scenery they saw and took notes of local conditions and customs. Jeon Hae-jin said with emotion: “Every country has its own culture. Though paintings have different styles and schools， they have the same aim of spreading culture. This time we come to Shandong to collect materials not only for sketching and creation of our works， but moreover to know the humanistic spirit of Shandong.”

Experiencing Charity Culture

Some honorary citizens of Shandong Province and Friendship Ambassadors of Shandong Province as well as foreign experts were invited to participate in the Culture Exchange Week. Though they have worked in Shandong for many years， they have had few chances to take part in cultural exchange activities. Therefore， they were very enthusiastic; when visiting the SSDS， many foreign friends bought the students’ works at high prices， saying that， in the future， they would give more personnel， financial and material support to the programs for the disabled people and actively participate in the charity activities in Shandong. Paul Liu， a Frenchman， Friendship Ambassador of Shandong Province and General Manager of the Xintai Acome Group， said from now on the Group would recruit workers from the SSDS every year and continue to contribute to the charity cause in the province. Barry N. Beck， President of the US Midland-Dongying (Shandong) Sister City Association， said he would make efforts to promote exchanges and cooperation in special education between the United States and China.

Culture has no national boundary， and cultural exchanges promote friendship. The Culture Exchange Week opened a new chapter of dissemination of culture and propagation of the charity ideal.