This wonderful autumn, from October 17th to 19th, we once again welcomed perhaps our most anticipated guest – Qi Xiaoting [Chi Shaoting], a Chinese-born Ukrainian artist, who conducted four Chinese painting and one Chinese calligraphy workshop at the institute.
Having lived in Ukraine for many years, the artist was forced to leave her home and is currently residing and creating art in Germany.
On the first day, participants who registered in advance learned to paint camellias. Camellias (山茶花 Shāncháhuā) in Chinese culture symbolize loyalty and longevity. Associated with love and fidelity, camellias are often given to express romantic feelings.
During the calligraphy workshop, we learned to write the saying "心平气和 xīnpíngqìhé," which can be translated as "calm heart and peaceful spirit" or "peace and harmony."
The second day of the workshops began with painting cranes. In Chinese culture, the crane (鹤, hè) symbolizes longevity, success, and immortality due to its long lifespan and connection to divine beings. Cranes are also associated with wisdom, connection with the heavens, and harmonious unions. These spiritual and favorable meanings have made the crane a popular motif in Chinese mythology, art, and literature.
In the afternoon, we dedicated time to one of the three main trees in Chinese culture – the pine (松樹 sōngshù). It symbolizes longevity, endurance, and a long life. Pines are often paired with cranes in visual arts.
On the last day, the rice paper blossomed with vibrant azalea flowers. Azaleas (杜鹃花 Dùjuānhuā) are the flower of women and symbolize femininity and gentleness.
We were thrilled to have a substantial number of participants from the university community this time. We thank the artist and art teacher Qi Xiaoting for the valuable art lessons, which allowed us to feel the uniqueness of Chinese painting techniques and the magic of calligraphy.
We bade farewell to our guest temporarily, hoping to meet again in the spring!