Life of Guangzhou - Through Art, Kids Send their Love to Quake Orphans

If you enter a certain building located in Guangzhou's Panyu, you will find an art training center for kids. In the classrooms and corridors of the center, pictures with childlike lines and bright colors hang everywhere; there are hand-made masks staring down and lanterns flickering, dangling from pipes overhead; open-door classrooms contain paper and pigments neatly stored in cabinets; kids sit around casually, drawing on paper...

A colorful display of children's art

The training center of fine art was named after the renowned artist and educator Yang Zhiguang in 2002. As we toured the school and viewed the many pictures on display, we discovered that many of them were adorned with a red heart-shaped label. These particular pieces had a special meaning: all proceeds from the sale of these works will be donated to the orphans of the Sichuan earthquake. Prices of the pictures began at 100 RMB.

Pictures with red heart-shaped labels

From May 17 to June 11, the period shortly after the quake, the center encouraged all of its students to donate at least one of their pictures for sale. Parents, friends and warm-hearted viewers were welcome to buy the art and contribute to the earthquake fund. All donated money went to the China Children and Teenager's Fund (CCTF), to help quake orphans get psychological tutoring and education, as well as meet basic daily needs.

Students draw in a training center classroom.

Different from donating money directly, the center devised a new way to help kids in quake-hit areas as well as at the training center. They believe that through art and helping others kids learn many positive lessons.

The Yang Zhiguang Fine Art Center was initiated by Yang in Panyu in 2002. He is also the vice professor of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art. The art centers are located in Panyu's Shiqiao and Luoxi, Guangzhou's Tianhe district and Jiangmen city, with over 600 students. Their aim is to encourage creativity in kids as a healthy outlet.

(By Jessie Hwang and Stephen Roach, Photographed by Ronald Li and Yang Xiaonan)