On the ground floor of Guanghua Building, an impressive array of Chinese art pieces has been exhibited since December 10. The exhibits, including Chinese Calligraphy, Chinese Painting, and Chinese Seal Carving, are created by Fudan’s international students enrolled in courses offered by Fudan’s International Cultural Exchange School.
Ivan’s painting work
“I’m glad for the opportunity to practice Chinese painting at Fudan, which enables me to explore the depths of ancient Chinese culture,” said Ivan Facenda, an Italian student from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature who has long been fascinated by Chinese culture. In high school, he came across Creation, a historical novel by Gore Vidal, and was drawn in by its portrayal of Confucian and Daoist philosophies, sparking his journey to explore Chinese culture. During undergraduate period at the University of Venice, he majored in Sinology and took a course on Chinese painting theory. The Chinese painting course offered this semester at Fudan marked his first hands-on experience with Chinese art.
The three courses of Chinese Calligraphy, Chinese Painting and Chinese Seal Carving, which have been offered for over 20 years at Fudan, has always been popular among international students. The course employs a blended learning approach, with online sessions focusing on related theory and offline sessions offering ample guidance for practical work.
Instructors often incorporate illustrations that reveal the deeper meanings behind ancient Chinese arts. For example, bamboo’s hollow stems symbolize humility, the plum blossoming in the snow represents the integrity of literati, and the use of negative space and imperfection can create unique beauty.
Seal carved by YAN Lixin with his own name
“At first, I couldn’t believe that damaging the edges of the seal could improve its appearance, but after trying it myself, I found it really does work,” said YAN Lixin, a management major coming from a Chinese immigrant family in Malaysia.
Lixin has been fond of Chinese culture from a young age, influenced by her family environment. After arriving at Fudan, she was drawn to the hands-on Chinese seal carving course. “We carved both red seals and white seals, which deepened our understanding of Eastern aesthetics.”
The course follows a step-by-step teaching approach designed to create meaningful learning experiences. For instance, in Chinese calligraphy classes, the instructor first teaches students how to write individual strokes of Chinese characters, followed by practice in writing complete characters. “We also share online resources and encourage students to find additional materials for learning,” said MAO Jinyan, the instructor for the Chinese Calligraphy and Chinese Painting courses.
Imogen’s calligraphy work
For many international students, it was their first experience with Chinese art, and they faced numerous challenges during the learning process. Imogen McMahon, an Australian student from the Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology shared that at first, she found it difficult to control the brush, and staying focused for long periods was also a challenge. “Practicing calligraphy is like making a new friend—you need to understand the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and above all, you need patience,” said Mao, encouraging her students.
“We encourage free creativity and hope to see different interpretations of imagery in the students’ works,” said GU Aimin, the seal carving instructor. The instructors were particularly impressed by some students who employed techniques not covered in class while painting lotus flowers, creatively blending shading and outlining.
“As we were amazed by the students’ works, we started to think, why not just hold an exhibition?” said WANG Jingdan, the Chinese seal carving instructor. This exhibition not only offers international students a valuable experience but also enriches campus life, allowing everyone to appreciate the beauty of Chinese culture.
The exhibition is on display on the ground floor of Guanghua Building until December 25. Don't miss your opportunity to immerse yourself in a world of culture and creativity.
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Presented by Fudan University Media Center
Writer: CHEN Xiaoyuan
Cover Image: HU Chenxin
Editor: WANG Mengqi, LI Yijie
