Around 20 international students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen) learned traditional Chinese painting at a workshop on Chinese culture.
Degree and exchange students from 10 countries -- Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Indonesia, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Thailand and the US, learned to paint bamboo, orchids and plum blossoms from Dai Weizhong, an accomplished traditional Chinese painter.
Dai emphasized that brush control is the core of the art form, teaching key techniques including cangfeng (hiding the brush tip), zhongfeng (holding the tip centrally) and huifeng (returning the tip).
For Ira Giligson, an exchange student from the University of British Columbia in Canada, the workshop was a first exposure to the art form. "I never tried Chinese painting before," he said. "Using the brush is so cool. It was a lot of fun and worth the time."
Wesley Zhou, an exchange student from Rutgers University in the US, grew up around Chinese cultural traditions and jumped at the chance to try the painting. "My mother does Chinese calligraphy, so I've always been interested in Chinese painting," Zhou said. "It's my first time trying it, and the workshop format is really nice. Everyone gets to immerse themselves in the experience and become part of the culture."
Dana Kalambaeva, a second-year CUHK-Shenzhen student from Russia, said the quiet, hands-on practice drew her out of her shell. "It's such an interesting experience to have an expert show you how to do something new and help you along the way," she said. "We got to dive straight into this traditional atmosphere, painting with brushes on rice paper. It felt like we were really immersed in Chinese culture."
The workshop is part of the university's Chinese cultural workshop series, which aims to give international students opportunities to experience Chinese culture.
Reporter | Chen Siyuan
Photo | The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen
