It has become a beautiful tradition to enhance the joy of spring with experiences of Chinese art, and in May, together with Qi Xiaoting, a Ukrainian artist of Chinese origin, we organized as many as six creative workshops.
On the first day of the creative workshops, we began with daffodil painting, as daffodils are considered the first flowers and heralds of spring in Chinese culture. Daffodils also symbolize peace, reunification, respect, and expressions of love. These flowers encode meanings of openness and sincerity and invite us to meet again.
The first evening of the creative workshops was dedicated to calligraphy. The artist briefly introduced the origins of calligraphy, its main styles, and later taught participants to write the character “德” (virtue). More advanced participants practiced the saying “厚德载物” (Great virtue carries great responsibilities). This saying, recorded in the foundational Chinese cultural work "I Ching" (The Book of Changes), conveys the idea that a noble person possesses great moral strength, can withstand challenges, take on responsibilities, and be a support to others.
The second day of the workshops was dedicated to Chinese painting. In the morning session, participants learned to paint the common kingfisher, and in the afternoon, we created compositions featuring the kingfisher and lotus. The common kingfisher (翠鸟 cuìniǎo) and lotus (荷花 héhuā) are motifs frequently found in traditional Chinese painting and jade carvings, symbolizing happiness and love.
We concluded the art workshops with paintings of wisteria and swallows, often composed together. In traditional Chinese culture, wisteria (紫藤 zǐténg) and swallows (燕子 yànzi) hold special significance. Swallows symbolize not only spring but also the happiness of newlyweds—a strong love, harmonious and solid family. The word "wisteria" is composed of two characters: the first 紫 (zǐ) ("purple color") due to its similar sound to 子 (zǐ, "child"), is associated with children. Meanwhile, 藤 (téng), meaning vine, symbolizes a strong, uninterrupted connection and strong love. Therefore, abundantly blooming wisteria in Chinese culture embodies the meanings of a large family and strong love. For these reasons, paintings depicting wisteria and swallows are often gifted to newlyweds, wishing them success and family happiness.
With an artistic spirit, we welcomed spring and bid farewell to the artist until next time.