Current location:World Window news portal > travel
Lifelong Passion for Painting Persists
World Window news portal2024-05-08 00:58:25【travel】0People have gathered around
IntroductionContact Us HomeNewsHighlightACWF NewsSocietyWom
- Home
- News
- People
- In-depth
- ACWF
Lifelong Passion for Painting Persists
February 5, 2024Chen Xiaoling paints at her home in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. [Sun Zhenghao/Xinhua] |
XI'AN — As a young woman, Chen Xiaoling clung to her passion for painting, even during her most miserable moments.
"When can I paint freely on the canvas without having to worry about my life?" she asked herself hundreds of times while she was selling eggs, making bricks or collecting garbage to earn a living in a village in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province.
Decades later, Chen, now 64, sat in her study against the backdrop of a Chinese landscape she painted. She said she is satisfied with how far she has come. "I have been in love with painting since childhood," she said. "The love has nothing to do with my age or my profession."
Chen said her interest in art was embedded in her genes. "My great-grandfather was a carpenter and good at painting, while my granny and aunt were both paper-cutting experts," she said. "And my two elder brothers both learned art at school."
When she was a child, her second brother used to spread white lime on the slope of a canal and let her "draw" on it using her feet.
In the following years, she would face some of the biggest struggles of her life. In addition to farming, she used to transport coal, sell wool and eggs and even collect trash to make money. While eight months pregnant, she even trekked on a mountainous road for more than 15 kilometers to find a kind of apple that she could grow.
But her tough life would not stop her from seizing every opportunity she had to paint.
Chen got married on a rainy day in 1983. The home she shared with her husband, who was from an impoverished family, had rooms that were fairly bare, without much decoration. On a wall in her bedroom, she spent three days completing a painting that depicted people traveling through mountains and streams.
She finally had enough time to paint at the age of 53 after she bought a new apartment and her children moved away with their spouses. She called herself a layman back then.
"I have never received any systematic training," Chen said.
To learn how to paint, she frequented art exhibitions and enrolled in painting courses both at a seniors university and online.
Once she saw a portrait inside a restaurant and went to have a look.
"The waitress kept talking about their dishes to me. To silence her, I asked for a bowl of noodles," she recalled. The noodles cost her 28 yuan ($4), which she thought was quite expensive. But she saw it as a "tuition fee" to learn painting.
Two things she has never hesitated to spend money on are painting tools and courses. She has spent more than 2,000 yuan to buy rice paper, and more than 10,000 yuan on paintings she liked.
Chen has completed more than 30 long scrolls with paintings depicting how farmers' lives have improved over the past few decades since the country started its reform and opening-up policy.
Surprised villagers would approach her while she painted.
They used to ask her, "Can you fill up your stomach with paintings?"
Chen said: "But after they saw my paintings, they began to understand. Whether they are in cities or in the countryside, people admire those who have real talent."
On the occasions of funerals and weddings, she was always invited to write or paint something for the families.
"She also likes giving paintings to others as presents, saying that art ignites people's lives," said her husband, Xu Keyong.
In her spare time, Chen taught in kindergartens and formed an art society. Inspired by her, other women picked up brushes, including retiree Fu Weiwei.
"Thanks to Xiaoling, I am now enjoying a richer senior life," she said. "Xiaoling encouraged us to be brave enough to chase our dreams, and not to be bound by age or profession."
(Source: Xinhua)
32.3KPlease understand that womenofchina.cn,a non-profit, information-communication website, cannot reach every writer before using articles and images. For copyright issues, please contact us by emailing: [email protected]. The articles published and opinions expressed on this website represent the opinions of writers and are not necessarily shared by womenofchina.cn.
Comments
Magazines
Projects
- 2023 Women Science and Technology Innovation Pioneer...
Photos
- People Enjoy Blooming Tulips in Jinan, East...
- Flowers Bloom Across China in Spring
Special Coverage
Address of this article:http://www.samacharpostdainik.com/content-5c099956.html
Very good!(7)
Previous: Newborn golden snub
Related articles
- Xi Sends Congratulatory Letter to Rehabilitation International Centennial Celebration
- (W.E. Talk) Salikyu Sangtam: How to view global politics from the Chinese Tianxia perspective?
- Animal abuse denies student post
- MOC criticizes US' move against Chinese companies
- Bringing on the summer tourism heat
- IMF 'welcomes' steps in property market
- Xinhua Commentary: Who is posing a dire threat to the global economy?
- Xi Orders Curbing Repeated Occurrence of Safety Accidents After Deadly Street Shop Fire
- World Insights: Experts Say Xi Offers Significant Guidance for China
- Foreign Ministry urges US to conduct swift probe into San Francisco consulate car crash
Popular articles
Recommended
Xi Story: Xi's Commitment to Empowering Chinese Children
Feature: Surinamese villagers enjoy electricity supply thanks to eco
Japan's move to discharge wastewater 'irresponsible'
Greek port project helps boost career prospects
Xi Focus: Xi Inspects Xiong'an New Area, Urges New Progress for 'City of Future'
Venice faces UNESCO Heritage List demotion
Emission capping in focus as scientists predict hotter 2024
Xi Orders Curbing Repeated Occurrence of Safety Accidents After Deadly Street Shop Fire
Links
- Trump will speak at the Libertarian National Convention as he woos independent voters
- Vendor that mishandled Pennsylvania virus data to pay $2.7 million in federal whistleblower case
- Selena Gomez reveals why she quit Instagram for four years
- Campaign to raise Missouri's minimum wage to $15 an hour confident it will get on the ballot
- Evan Mobley has huge block in final seconds as Cavaliers hold off Banchero, Magic 104
- West Virginia GOP County Commissioners removed from office after arrest for skipping meetings
- Alcaraz loses to Rublev in Madrid Open quarterfinals. Sinner withdraws with hip injury
- New US sanctions against Russia target weapons development, ban uranium imports for nuclear power
- WNBA ticket sales on StubHub are up 93%. Aces, Caitlin Clark and returning stars fuel rise
- Want to spend the night in a Paris museum or a house owned by Prince? Airbnb plans to list them