Young artists wave Chinese national flags on Monday. [Photo by Zhang Jian/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Hundreds of young artists from around the world have come to Tianjin for the 2024 Tianjin International Children's Art Festival this week.
The event kicked off on Monday evening and will run until July 26. It will feature 400 children from domestic art troupes and 700 counterparts from over 20 foreign countries and regions.
An art troupe steps onto the stage at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Tianjin International Children's Art Festival. [Photo by Zhang Jian/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
With the theme of "Peace, Friendship and Future", this year's festival aims to inspire children to build a better future for humanity collectively.
The much-anticipated festival will feature a children's carnival, a painting exhibition, art performances, tours of the Great Wall and the Tianjin urban area, art education salons, an unveiling ceremony for the International Children's Fun City, and a signing ceremony for sister relations between Chinese and foreign schools.
Two young artists share a light moment during Monday's event. [Photo by Zhang Jian/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Chen Shizhong, deputy secretary-general of the Tianjin city government, encouraged young participants to use the festival as a platform to strengthen cultural and artistic exchanges.
The festival is sponsored by the Tianjin city government and the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation and co-hosted by the Tianjin Foreign Affairs Office and the Cathay Future Foundation.
The 2024 Tianjin International Children's Art Festival kicked off on Monday and will run until Friday. [Photo by Zhang Jian/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Fred Tchalewa Ndeki, headmaster of Fountain Gate High School in Tanzania, has participated in the Tianjin International Children's Art Festival every three years since 2009. He said, "People here are treating us as dear friends."
He noted that one of the reasons he'd love to bring kids from the high school back to Tanzania is that the festival serves as a "global community" platform that brings kids from all over the world to get to know each other, exchanging ideas, experiences, beliefs, and many other things. "It's a fabulous event for the kids to get to know the world," he commented.
Anita Ntezimana, a member of L'École Mus'Art in Montreal, Canada, said: "This is actually my first time to be here and it's fun for me because I've got to meet many people from different cultural backgrounds, performing arts and other things."
An Australian presents her nation's flag during the event on Monday. [Photo by Zhang Jian/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Students from Fountain Gate Schools in Tanzania show school pride at the art festival in Tianjin. [Photo by Zhang Jian/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
