On 15 June, Wu Yalin, sculptor, cross-border artist, member of the China Artists Association, professor and master's tutor of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, director of the former Institute of Traditional Chinese Sculpture of the Department of Sculpture, founder of the former Sculpture Cai Digital Sculpture Research Centre, and editor-in-chief of the Guangjiao edition of the national high school student's Sculpture, spoke about the differences between the characteristics of Chinese and Western artistic thinking under the title "The Charm of Traditional Chinese Sculpture".

Professor Wu opened by saying that the lecture was generally aimed at higher education students such as undergraduates and postgraduates, and that he was surprised by the interest and understanding of Chinese sculpture among ASJ primary school students.

Professor Wu's life sculptures are drawn from a wide range of colourful lives in history and reality, and contain the artist's rich life experience, wisdom and philosophical thinking. Focusing on the differences between the thinking of Chinese and Western people, she introduced the aesthetic differences between Chinese and Western figure sculptures, and the students' minds wandered between the "divinity" of Western sculptures and the "charm" of traditional Chinese sculptures.

"Based on Western studies, she has learnt from the East" is the summary of Professor Wu's sculptural life, which is the result of her study of Western realist sculpture and her gradual shift to seek resources from traditional Chinese sculpture and ethnic and folk art, and draw nutrients from them to form her own sculptural art history, which is a blend of ancient and modern, East and West, and North and South. It is a precise summary of her sculptural journey, and the artistic rules that she has worked out from her many years of artistic practice to perfectly express her life experiences.

▲Gift from the students

With Professor Wu's kind words, the students understood that Western sculpture places more emphasis on science, while Chinese sculpture is based on Chinese philosophy as its aesthetic foundation. It is believed that this lecture will stimulate students' interest in traditional Chinese sculpture and arouse their awareness of heritage conservation.

On 15 June, ASJ's "Aesthetic Education Class" invited Director Chen of the Song Qingling Foundation's Youth Aesthetic Education Committee to give G6 students a hands-on lesson on the beauty of calligraphy.

Mr Chen introduced the children to the historical evolution of Chinese calligraphy with the topic 'The Beauty of Calligraphy - How to Write the Strokes of the Official Script'. It is believed to have developed from the seal script, with a wide and flat shape, long horizontal and short vertical strokes, and a "silkworm head and goose tail" style. The Han script reached its peak during the Eastern Han period, when the tradition of the seal script was inherited from the upper part of the Han dynasty and the lower part of the Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern dynasties, and had a significant impact on later generations of calligraphy.

In the calligraphy practice activity, 20 ASJ students used brushes to try their hand at copying the four characters "The Beauty of Calligraphy" in clerical script. The fragrance of ink lingered in the painting and calligraphy classroom and the children had a deep experience of the fun of traditional Chinese calligraphy on paper and ink.

During this special lecture on aesthetic education, Director Chen took the students into the world of Chinese calligraphy, allowing them to understand the beauty of calligraphy and to learn about the traditional culture and art of our country, benefiting them greatly! Gratitude and thanks! One student said, "Through this lecture, I have a new and deeper understanding of Chinese calligraphy."