On April 27, 2026, the International Affairs Office (IAO) of Beijing City University successfully hosted a cultural salon titled "Expressing Emotion through Brush and Ink, Experiencing China with Painting" for its foreign faculty. The event attracted enthusiastic participation from our teachers from the UK, the US, France, Germany, Japan, and Cuba, who experienced the unique charm of traditional Chinese painting through expert lectures and hands-on practice.
The event began with an IAO teacher guiding the foreign teachers through an appreciation of classic Chinese paintings, including Li Cheng's Distant Peaks in a Lush Forest, Huang Gongwang's Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, as well as works by modern artist Huang Yongyu and other classics. The session provided an accessible explanation of four major techniques such as freehand brushwork (Xieyi), meticulous brushwork (Gongbi), a combination of both, and line drawing (Baimiao), along with their representative works. It also briefly introduced the core aesthetic concepts of "capturing the spirit" and "expressing the essence" in Chinese painting. Following the lecture, Wang Xiaodan and Liu Siyu, two students majoring in Calligraphy at the university, served as on-site instructors. They explained the fundamental knowledge—such as brush-holding posture, the characteristics of rice paper, and ink shades through practice, and demonstrated how to paint bamboo, orchids, plum blossoms, and landscapes.
In a relaxed atmosphere, the foreign teachers boldly tried their hand at painting. From holding the brush and mixing colors to making the first stroke, they gradually appreciated the fascinating variations of ink in terms of thickness, lightness, wetness, and dryness. During the guided creation session, each teacher completed a unique Chinese painting. The Japanese language teacher not only finished a painting but also carefully inscribed her name on the artwork. The Spanish teacher from Cuba expressed great appreciation for this valuable hands-on opportunity and planned to further refine their painting during the holidays. After the session, the teachers proudly displayed their works and took group photos to capture this memorable moment of cultural experience.
This event was part of the 2025-2026 academic year's second-semester cultural experience series for foreign faculty organized by Beijing City University. The IAO will continue to use traditional Chinese arts as medium to build a bridge for people-to-people exchanges, enabling foreign teachers to gain a deeper understanding of China and integrate into campus life beyond their work.
