Celebrating the New Year,Greeting Beijing Winter Olympics International Art Exhibition successfully held

Sun Yajing

O n Jan 18， an art exhibition opened online — Celebrating the New Year， Greeting Beijing Winter Olympics International Art Exhibition. It was hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

Attending and delivering speeches were Lin Songtian， president of the CPAFFC； Su Shishu， honorary president of the China Calligraphers Association； Georgios Iliopoulos， ambassador of Greece to China； Kurihara Komaki， director and vicepresident of the Japan-China Cultural Exchange Association； and Remy Aron， president of the French Association of Arts-Plastics.

Twelve Chinese and foreign artists exchanged thoughts on relevant topics. Li Xikui， vice-president of the CPAFFC， made concluding remarks. Zhu Dan， director of the Cultural Exchange Department of the CPAFFC， presided over the opening ceremony.

The exhibition features 126 works by 115 artists from 43 countries， including China， Russia， the United States， the United Kingdom， France， Canada， Japan， Korea， Brazil， Chile， South Africa and Nigeria. Artists from five continents used their brushes to express their admiration for the Olympic spirit and their best wishes for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Lin said that at the beginning of the New Year， as the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics was about to open， it was of great significance for the association to hold the exhibition online. He said the works on display were created with high artistic standards and have significant value for cultural appreciation. The works vividly show the inner connection and unique charms of the Winter Olympics， ice and snow sports， culture and art， he said.

Lin praised the artists for creating “a vision of a better future for mankind， not only expressing people’s firm support for the Beijing Winter Olympics but also embodying their advocacy and pursuit of the Olympic spirit.” The exhibition is an artistic feast of mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations， he said.

Lin noted that holding the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics is a major event that attracts world attention. It also reflects China’s solemn commitment to the international community. Under the care and guidance of President Xi Jinping， the Beijing Winter Olympics organizing authorities fully implemented a “green， inclusive， open and clean” Olympic concept and highlighted technological， smart， green and frugal features. The efforts set a new example to the world for how to achieve peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality.

With powerful support from the Communist Party of China Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core， ice and snow sports are booming across the country. With the popularization of ice and snow sports， the solemn promise of “bringing 300 million Chinese people to participate in ice and snow sports” has come true. It is the greatest contribution the Beijing Winter Olympics has made to the global Olympic movement， and the best interpretation of the Olympic spirit and value.

At a time when the uncertainties brought by the changing world and the pandemic are intertwined and affecting each other， people need more than ever the positive energy of solidarity and friendship to overcome difficulties. Not long ago， the 76th UN General Assembly unanimously passed a resolution calling for a truce during the Beijing Winter Olympics. A total of 173 countries joined in the resolution.

O n J a n 1 8 ， t h e B e i j i n g Winter Olympics Friendship Cities Cooperation and Development Forum was successfully held online and offline， attended by officials and people from 73 cities of 23 countries on four continents， including 13 cities that had hosted the Games in Japan， the Republic of Korea and Europe. Participants expressed their best wishes and firm support for the Beijing Winter Olympics. They said they believed and hoped that China would deliver a wonderful， extraordinary and outstanding Olympics to the world.

Lin emphasized that the Olympics is a grand sports event for all mankind， an arena and opportunity for athletes from all over the world to realize their dreams and an important carrier for promoting exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations. At this joyful moment of world attention， any malicious politicization of the Olympic movement， which is as pure as ice and snow， runs counter to the Olympic spirit and the common aspirations of the people of the world. Politicization is immoral， unpopular and will never succeed， Lin said.

Iliopoulos introduced the profound connotation and worldwide significance of the Olympic spirit. He said the concept of the Olympic movement is a spiritual treasure for all countries in handling international relations. It shows that nations can pursue prosperity and development through healthy competition， open markets， common standards and the rule of law. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Greece and China， the Year of Greek-Chinese Culture and Tourism and the year of the Olympics. The two sides will hold a series of bilateral cultural activities to give Greece and China and their peoples an opportunity to get to know each other once again， Iliopoulos said.

Su Shishu wrote an inscription for the exhibition and sent blessings to the Beijing Winter Olympics. In his speech， he said that the Olympics is not a competition， but a kind of cultural exchange and integration from the heart. The exhibition invites international masters to meet friends through arts exchanges of arts. It will help enhance mutual understanding and friendship between Chinese and foreign people and promote mutual learning and common prosperity among civilizations.

Kurihara Komaki said， “Culture and art are the cornerstone of friendship and trust. I am confident that the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will go down in history as a celebration of mutual understanding and world peace.”

Remy Aron said， “The Olympic spirit has universal significance. The Beijing Winter Olympics has provided a platform for people to approach each other and communicate harmoniously. Sports and art are interlinked. Both embody the pursuit of ideals and perfection， and both are important manifestations of the Olympic spirit. We need to continue enriching the Olympic spirit and bring hope to people in need.”

With the theme “Carrying forward the Olympic spirit and promoting mutual learning among civilizations”， the exhibition is being staged at the ARTVR online gallery from Jan 18 to Mar 18.

Xinhua News Agency， International Radio Online， China Daily and other media outlets reported the activity.