STORY: Discover rural China through art
SHOOTING TIME: March 10, 2024
DATELINE: March 13, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:05
LOCATION: HEFEI, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of traditional villages of Xidi and Hongcun
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): SEBASTIAN THOMMEN, Irish artist
3. various of painting
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): DIEGO EGUINLIAN, Argentine artist
5. various of painting
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ANASTASIA PETRYAEVA, Russian artist
7. various of painting
8. various of traditional villages of Xidi and Hongcun

STORYLINE:

A dozen artists from countries including Ireland, Argentina, and Russia have gathered in rural Anhui Province in east China for art.

The artists came to two traditional villages of Xidi and Hongcun for a watercolor painting festival, discovering rural China through their eyes and by painting brushes.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): SEBASTIAN THOMMEN, Irish artist
"I feel very relaxed. Everyone here is so nice and so hospitable and so generous. And it's a real sense of home here. The natural beauty is something I have never seen before. So it's almost shockingly beautiful, because it's something that when you look at, you can see there are thousands and thousands and thousands of years of history. And it's just all around. And to be here in this untouched area, it's very very special."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): DIEGO EGUINLIAN, Argentine artist
"For me, it's like a dream. And I feel really happy, because I'm sharing with your culture. Today it's easier because we have social media, we have internet. But I think that the presencial (face-to-face) thing like this one is the best to show to the world that we can be together painting side by side, and exchanging the different techniques, the spirit and philosophy that every artist has, and ambition that they have. So I think that's the way, presencial, to (stay) face-to-face and talking and telling about our lives and our experience."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ANASTASIA PETRYAEVA, Russian artist
"I have always dreamed about traveling. And I have always dreamed about communicating with other artists, because it's really important to communicate to share your knowledge with others and to get other experiences."

Sitting near the picturesque Huangshan Mountain, Xidi and Hongcun were listed as world cultural heritage sites for their ancient Hui-style buildings.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hefei, China.
(XHTV)