Exhibition “When Spring Returns” Opens

On Monday 23 June 2025, the Confucius Institute for Traditional Chinese Medicine (CITCM) launched an UK-China primary and secondary school student painting competition and exhibition entitled “When Spring Returns”. The opening ceremony was attended by nearly 100 people, including students, parents and teachers from local schools, as well as special guests and LSBU staff members.

The beginning of the reception was marked by a couple of guzheng (Chinese zither) melodies, performed by a CITCM’s professional musician. Then in her opening speech, Professor Deborah Johnston, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Interim Co Vice-Chancellor of LSBU, appreciated the young artists’ varied perceptions of spring, and encouraged them to continue expressing their individuality and keep sharing their thoughts. Deborah also remarked that this exhibition ‘helps us think about those things we have in common’.

The competition was initiated by Global Education Insights Academy. Its representative Tina Xu, expressing her gratitude to LSBU and CITCM, considered this event ‘a celebration of youthful creativity, fresh perspectives, and the transformative power of art to connect us all’. She perceived each artwork as ‘a reflection of individual talent’ and ‘a testament to what can be achieved when we come together to share and learn across cultures’.

Of all the exhibits, 17 paintings came from local students and 34 artworks from China. Regrettably, no Chinese student was able to travel to London for the exhibition. Only the local young artists participated in the opening ceremony, each to receive a certificate and a token of award. The exhibition is open to the public from 24 June to 18 July 2025.

After the formalities, the young artists proudly explained their own creations to family and friends, while parents, teachers and other guests admired these artworks with great interest. Many guests were particularly impressed by the various genres of painting and calligraphy, and they commented that it was exciting to see so many budding young artists thoughtfully responding to the theme of the competition. Indeed, as Professor Yinong Xu, Executive Director of CITCM, stated in his written introduction to the exhibition, ‘the theme of the competition encourages young artists to engage with the natural world around them, with the marching of seasons, and with the phenomenon of revival of life’; After all, ‘these young artists are more than the authors of artworks on the theme of the arrival of springtime; they themselves are springtime of life — they are the light and hope for the future.’