On May 18, the 80th International Museum Day, 13 international students from Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) left the classroom and visited the Zhu Qizhan Art Museum in Lu Xun Park. They took part in a special event titled “The Art of Chinese Painting: How It Connects the World,” experiencing the unique charm of Chinese painting with brush and ink. The event echoed this year’s Museum Day theme, “Museums: Uniting a Divided World.”

The event turned the museum’s public education resources into a cross-cultural art class, bringing Chinese and international students together for meaningful exchange.

Panel on Art: From East-West Differences to Fusion

The event began with a panel discussion on the differences between Chinese and Western painting. Three guests — Zhang Peicheng (contemporary ink artist), Ma Yan (deputy director of the Zhu Qizhan Art Museum), and Huang Jianqin (associate professor at SISU) — compared brushes, techniques, and pigments, showing students how Eastern and Western art pursue different kinds of beauty.

The international students showed strong interest in Zhu Qizhan’s efforts to merge Chinese and Western art. The guests explained how he brought Western painting techniques into his Chinese ink works, and how his late artistic transformation began with a series called Transient Sketches. Through Zhu’s example, the students saw how art can cross cultural boundaries and connect different traditions.

Feeling the “Vitality and Charm” of Chinese Painting Through Brush and Ink

During the guided tour, Zhang Peicheng led the students through Zhu Qizhan’s artistic world. They focused on works the artist created at age 100, his signature style of merging Chinese and Western art, and how modern Chinese painting has evolved through artists like him.

 

Then came the hands-on session, which became the highlight of the day. Under Zhang’s guidance, the students picked up a brush for the first time and tried to copy or create their own small Chinese painting. From hesitant first strokes to more confident moves, their works slowly took shape on paper fans. After finishing, they admired each other’s first Chinese paintings and listened carefully as Zhang offered comments and tips for future practice.

From the awe of seeing the master’s brushwork to the ease of holding the brush themselves, the students experienced the essence of Chinese painting through this immersive workshop. They came to understand the subtle beauty of leaving blank space — what Chinese artists call “counting white as black” — and the vitality that flows through every stroke. The event planted a seed of cultural exchange in the hearts of these international students.

Source: Study at SISU