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Going for Gold in Tianjin

By Frank Lin

 Melbourne - Aspiring artist Cathy Fei may be just six-years-old, but she has her sights set on winning this year’s Tianjin International Children’s Painting Competition in China.

 
Cathy, a student at Glen Waverley Primary School, was third in her class at the 2006 festival, which is held in the Chinese city every two years. Because of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the event was postponed until July 25-31 this year.  
 
 
The painting competition, which is open to any artist under the age of 18 years, attracts wide interest.  In 2006 some 2,000 children from 65 countries submitted works and Australian kids picked up nine awards -- including 1 Grand Prize, 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze and 3 Excellent awards.
 
Cathy says she has the confidence to improve on her bronze award.  “This year I have made up my mind to contribute one masterpiece  to achieve a gold prize,” she said.
 
Her proud father, Bob Fei, said that “ever since Cathy won her bronze, whenever she comes home from school the first thing she does is a ‘home work’ painting.”
 
 
This is the fifth Tianjin event and the Culture, Education, Science International Liaison Committee of Australia (CESILCA), a Melbourne-based non-profit community organization, is coordinating the entries from Australia which can be both east and western style paintings.
 
CESILCA vice coordinator, Hang Zhuang, said that this year, the various prize winners will be invited to attend the opening of the exhibition in Tianjin on July 25 and attend other cultural activities throughout the festival.
 
“Those invited will have to bear their international flight expenses,” he said, “but the organizing committee will meet all their accommodation, meals and transportation expenses in China."
 
Further information on the competition can be obtained from CESILCA -- telephone (03) 9486-0166 or email cesilca@bigpond.net.au

  
Frank Lin is participant of yarrareporter, a civic journalism training organized by Infoxchange Australia