Art display from China

Press, 12 October 1985, Page 8

Art display from China

The Mayor of Christchurch, Sir Hamish Hay, and the Mayoress, Lady Hay, join Margaret Waters, aged nine, and her brother, James, aged seven, as they look at paintings in the Gansu Children’s art exhibition at the Christchurch Town Hall yesterday. Earlier this year, Lady Hay arranged for a selection of paintings by pupils from Christchurch primary and intermediate schools to

be sent to Gansu, where they were exhibited in Lanzhou. One of James Waters’ pictures was included in the exhibition in Christchurch's sister province. The display in the foyer of the Christchurch Town Hall is a reciprocal exhibition of outstanding works by

children from Gansu Province. The paintings depict aspects of life and art which are familiar to schoolchildren of the north-western China province. They include harvest scenes, a shepherd and his flock of sheep, rows of clothes, cal-

ligraphy, martial arts, a dancer, and a mythical Tang dynasty “flying fairy.” Sir Hamish launched an appeal yesterday for funds to establish a new school for forestry and animal husbandry in Gansu Province. The idea for the school came from Mr Rewi Alley, now aged 87, who has de-

voted his life to work with the Chinese in the countryside. His idea has gained the support of the New ZealandChina Friendship Society, which is promoting the fund. The school will be on the site of the Bailie School, founded by Rewi Alley and named by him after an American missionary, Joseph Bailie, who set up land-based schools before the Second World War.