The Global Youth Peony Painting Competition has officially launched

Recently, the "Stars Share Their Dreams Together - Global Youth Peony Painting Competition" was successfully held at the Confucius Institute in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Peonies originated from China, spreading their fragrance to the world, symbolizing peace and prosperity, and serving as a bond of friendship between China and the world. They are also the bridge connecting the Sofia Confucius Institute, the Bourishesti City of Bulgaria, and Heze City in China. The Sofia Confucius Institute would co-host the "Stars Share Their Dreams Together - Global Youth Peony Painting Competition" organized by the Peony Culture Branch of the Chinese Flower Association, the Cultural Communication Center of the China Foreign Languages Press, and Heze City. The competition encourages Chinese and Bulgarian teenagers to make friends through painting and enjoy the beauty of Chinese traditional culture together.

Subsequently, the guests present watched a short film about Heze City's peonies, experiencing the unique charm and cultural connotations of peonies up close.

The artistic exchange session was a blend of Chinese and Western styles, presenting a dazzling array of performances. Chinese painter Huang Guoqiang presented the creative process of peonies through online connection. Bulgarian painter Silvi Velev showcased his carefully crafted peony paintings, demonstrating the deep integration and collision of Chinese and Western aesthetics.

At the event, a peony painting workshop was set up, where participants, under the guidance of Bulgarian painter Silvi Velev, picked up brushes to paint peonies, experiencing the joy and charm of Chinese painting firsthand.

This event is also part of the Sofia Confucius Institute's celebration of the Global Confucius Institute Day. Through art as a medium and peonies as a bridge, it promotes cultural exchanges between China and Bulgaria and provides an art exchange platform for Chinese and Bulgarian teenagers.

The "Stars Share Their Dreams Together - Global Youth Peony Painting Competition" will be coordinated with nearly 20 Confucius Institutes around the world, inviting teenagers from various countries to use painting as a medium and peonies as a bridge to jointly write a vivid chapter of mutual beauty. The selected peony painting works will be exhibited in a special exhibition in Heze City in 2027.