Depict the Beautiful Life and Wish for World Peace

he Fourth China-Japan-ROK Youth Art Exchange Exhibition was held in the Fanmate Museum in Chengdu from July 21 to 27， displaying nearly 200 works showing the people’s love of peace， friendship and nature.

The event was jointly hosted by the CPAFFC， the Chengdu Municipal People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， Chengdu City Federation of Literary and Art Circles， People’s Government of Jinjiang District of Chengdu， the Suzu City Japan-China Friendship Association of Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan and the Kimcheon Fine Arts Association of the Republic of Korea.

The works on display were different in style and varied in form， including calligraphy， gouache， wood engraving and works with ethnic characteristics such as waka karuta in calligraphy. Waka Karuta is a game Japanese children play for fun on New Year’s Day that helps them memorize ancient poems.

In addition to paintings and calligraphic works done with common brush and paper， the exhibits by two Chinese students were three-dimensional， made with ropes， paperboards， sequins， etc.， that were vivid and eye-catching.

It was summer vacation. Many schoolchildren and their parents came to visit the exhibition. They were greatly interested in the foreign works and wondered their aesthetic taste and thinking. A Chinese participant said in an interview she was very happy to take part and win the “Excellence Award” as it was a much-cherished opportunity to show her talent in traditional Chinese painting. Her mother said in excitement： “This kind of activity can broaden her horizons. She could only swap experiences with her classmates before. Now， she can have exchanges with more friends even from other countries.”

The exhibition has widened the field of vision of the youth of the three countries， promoted friendship and set up a platform of international cultural and arts exchange for children.

Chengdu took this occasion to show Chinese and foreign guests an image of an international cultural capital with long history， modern fashion， folk elements， openness and inclusiveness. Kim Young-sic， President of the Kimcheon Fine Arts Association， who attended the opening ceremony， felt the local people’s warmth and their love for art. To express his best wishes for the success of the exhibition and China-Japan-Korea friendship he gave an impromptu harmonica performance of the famous Korean song Arirang.

The China-Japan-ROK Youth Art Exchange Exhibition， a future-oriented multilateral international exchange program planned by the CPAFFC， aims at enhancing mutual understanding among youth and promoting exchanges and cooperation at local government level. It is an annual event hosted by China， Japan and the ROK in rotation.

It was previously held with success in Wuhan of China in 2011， Kimcheon of the ROK in 2012 and Suzu of Japan in 2013.

Present at the opening ceremony in Chengdu were President Kim Young-sic of the Kimcheon Fine Arts Association of the ROK， President Michizo Sanbai of the Suzu City Japan-China Friendship Association， President Luo Yubin of the Sichuan Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， Vice President Li Li of the Chengdu Municipal People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， as well as government leaders of the Jinjiang District， award winners representatives， etc.

Ma Xiaoming， Director General of the Cultural Exchange Department of the CPAFFC read out CPAFFC President Li Xiaolin’s message of congratulations expressing her wish to further promote mutual understanding among the youth of the three neighboring countries and hoping they would grow up hand in hand to build a better and more harmonious Asia.