Chinese traditional folk art shines at University of Toronto

Zhang Kai and Dong Chao, two natives of Shanxian county – which is situated in Heze city in East China's Shandong province – recently organized a Chinese traditional folk art event in Canada.

The event, which was entitled Cultural Shandong: Experience Traditional Chinese Folk Art, took place in the student activity room of the University of Toronto.

They started the activity by showing the audience a piece of Chinese calligraphy created by Zhou Jianjun, a member of the Chinese Calligraphers Association and a recognized first-level calligraphy master in his country.

Then they presented papercutting artworks by Yao Hong, a talented folk artist from Shanxian county. Inspired by the Chinese zodiac signs, she designed and cut various animal images in paper – such as dragons, monkeys, horses and oxen – leaving the audience with a lasting impression.

During the activity, an egg caught the attention of the attendees. They took turns holding it to observe the elegant depiction of blooming peonies in shades of red and pink on the eggshell, symbolizing wealth, prosperity, happiness and peace.

A student from the University of Toronto observes the beautifully painted egg in his hand. [Photo provided by Wang Xiaolan for chinadaily.com.cn]

A Chinese wooden comb was another popular item during the activity. The comb handle was meticulously crafted in the shape of a dragon – with finely sculpted features such as the head, horns, eyes, whiskers, scales and even teeth visible within the dragon's mouth – demonstrating the exceptional skills of Chinese artisans.

The dragon's body seamlessly merged with the wooden comb, which appeared to come from nature's playbook.

Zhang and Dong said that the activity brought traditional Chinese folk art to the campus and left a positive impression on the local community and that's motivated them to organize similar activities in the future, introducing Chinese culture to the outside world and promoting cultural exchanges between China and Canada. (Edited by Zhou Yunlai)