On January 18th, "Pure Ice and Snow, Passionate Dating" China-Cuba Chinese and Foreign Youth People-to-People Exchange Invitation Exhibition" was held at the Jintai Art Museum in Beijing. 138 works on the theme of the "Beijing Winter Olympics" created by young people from the two countries were exhibited, including 26 works by Cuba. Cuban Ambassador to China Carlos Miguel Pereira, former Minister of Culture Cai Wu, Member of the Standing Committee of the 11th and 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the first environmental protection art master awarded by the United Nations, famous artist, Director of Beijing Jintai Art Museum Yuan Xikun, Director of the Publicity and Promotion Department of the Beijing Olympic City Development Promotion Center Pi Yaming, President of the Latin American Branch of the European and American Returned Scholars Association Wang Weihua, General Manager of Hebei Yuan's Cultural Communication Co., Ltd. Yuan Lingwen, as well as envoys from many embassies in China and Chinese and foreign teenagers attended the event.
In his speech, Carlos Miguel Pereira said: "The works exhibited in Cuba are created by the children of the National Academy of Fine Arts of San Alejandro in Cuba and the Chinese children in primary and secondary schools in Beijing, and these works not only show the artistic talents of children from all over the world, but also serve as a living example of the efforts made by countries to ensure the comprehensive education of the youngest generation." The National Academy of Fine Arts of San Alejandro is considered to be the oldest academy of fine arts in Latin America and we are very pleased to see here today 26 exhibited works created by the children and young students of the school. As a tropical country, Cuba cannot participate in the Winter Olympics; however, I can assure you that the Cuban people and our embassy will cheer on the Chinese athletes participating in this event. I wish this exhibition success, and I also wish China can successfully host this Winter Olympic Games, which will surely create history! ”
Yuan Xikun, chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Chinese and Foreign Youth People-to-People Exchange Activities, recalled his love affair with the Olympic Games in his speech, saying: "Because the stopwatches of the world are consistent and difficult to operate in the dark, the Olympics is just, sunny, and the most intuitive embodiment of the cause of truth, goodness and beauty." The Olympic spirit is to promote human civilization and progress through international sports exchanges and competitions, and the enduring force that sustains this cause is the spirit of "sports + culture" advocated by Mr. Coubertin and President Samaranch. The association of art and sports can make the spirit get a healthy and upward inspiration, it will make our artists' mentality and creative ideas get a higher sublimation, and the form of creation has a broader world. In his speech, he thanked the talented Chinese and foreign young artists who participated in the exhibition, who were willing to contribute their own strength to further disseminate and promote sports culture and promote the participation of the whole people in a variety of artistic forms.
In his speech, the student representative of Cuba said: "Cuba is a tropical island country that does not participate in the Winter Olympics, but the people of the mainland have been very curious about the ice and snow world since childhood. The works that will be released today are not only artistic achievements, but also reflect the yearning of the people of the mainland for winter. Although Cuba does not participate in the Winter Olympics, it will always be with China. China, come on! We wish this exhibition a complete success and long live the friendship between Ancient China and China! ”
Yuan Sizhe, a Chinese student at the exhibition, mentioned in his speech: "I have not been to Cuba, my father once visited Cuba, and listened to my father say that Cuba is like my hometown of Yunnan, with bright sunshine, picturesque scenery and rich products. Cuba has three treasures, sugar cane, cigars and rum, and Yunnan also has three treasures, sugar cane, coffee and tobacco. Cubans are as hospitable as Yunnanese, singing and dancing, and sports. Dad told me that Cuba and China are one family and more good brothers! In more than 10 days, the Winter Olympics will open in Beijing, and I hope that the athletes of China and Cuba can achieve good results, play out of style, and compete at a high level! I wish the friendship between China and Cuba a long history! I also hope that one day, I can travel to Cuba, feel the beautiful scenery of Cuba, and feel the hospitality of Cuba. ”
At the event, Chinese teenagers recited Coubertin's prose poem "Ode to Sports", the students of "Mitang Ballet" performed the ballet solo dance "Esmeralda" and the group dance "Doll Waltz", and the Cuban teenagers recited the poem "Spanish Dancer" by national hero José Martí and sang "Guantanamo Girl", and the wonderful performances of the teenagers of the two countries won the applause of the audience.
Subsequently, Cuban Ambassador Carlos Miguel Pereira and Yuan Xikun, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of this event, presented the "Certificate of Honor" to the chinese and Cuban participating teenagers, and the young people of the two countries also exchanged gifts to wish the friendship between China and Cuba forever! We wish the Beijing Winter Olympics a complete success! The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic sign language song "Together to the Future!" performed by teenagers in Beijing's Dongcheng District " ended in a cheerful song.
Since its launch in May 2021, the "Pure Ice and Snow Passionate Dating" activity has been supported by the embassies of many countries in China, and on the eve of the "Beijing Winter Olympics", it has successively launched offline and online Cultural Exchange Activities with Venezuela, Russia, Greece, Cuba and other countries, increasing the understanding of young people from all over the world about winter sports and the diversity of world cultures. Through the form of art creation, it artistically interprets the Olympic spirit of "mutual understanding, friendship, unity and fair competition" advocated by the Olympic Games, expresses the desire of young people from all countries to pursue unity, progress, harmony and common development, and displays the artistic style of Chinese and foreign youth, and the artistic style of Chinese and foreign teenagers, with the intention of innovation and exquisite skills. The holding of this project has been widely concerned and warmly welcomed by the community from all walks of life, and the young people have actively participated, enthusiastically submitted papers, increased their insights and gained friendship.
Editor-in-charge: Yang Xiaojun