On 10th January 2025, Chinese teachers of the Confucius Institute in Artois Qiu Shuzhen were invited to Collège Jean Monnet in Calais to conduct a Chinese ink painting workshop to support the Chinese elective course in the middle school. The event lasted for two hours and was attended by a total of about 20 junior high students.
Firstly, Ms. Qiu presented the poem of Wang Anshi “The plum blossom sprigs in the corner of the wall. Alone bloom in the frosty chill. Seen from afar I know it is not snow. For a hint of the fragrance to come.” on the blackboard. Later she explained the background of the poem and the symbolism of the plum blossom, and led the students to read the poem aloud to feel the rhythm of the poem. After enjoying the poem, students began to draw with ink, straws and paints according to the steps of the ink-painting, and created unique winter plum blossom paintings under the guidance of Ms. Qiu. In the end, the students stamped a traditional Chinese seal on their paintings to complete the creation of ink-painting. In addition, Ms. Qiu shared her experience of learning foreign languages with the students and encouraged them to continue learning Chinese and exploring more about Chinese culture.
The ink painting workshop was welcomed by the teachers and students of the school's Chinese language classes, and attracted junior high school students' interest in Chinese poetry and painting.
