Disabled children lauded for artistry at Beijing ceremony

The awards ceremony for a national art contest for children with disabilities has taken place in Beijing, with the young artists competing in various activities, such as painting, calligraphy, dance and musical performances.

Dozens of kids received awards at this year’s ceremony.

The participants in the competition included children with intellectual, visual, or hearing impairments.

Zhang Junru is the founder of the event. She said that hundreds of kids have taken part in the contest since it started two years ago.

“The competition was launched in 2016, targeting all of the children across the country who have a disability. We hope to bring all of these children together through this platform. We will use our resources to help them. Thanks to their artworks, including painting, dance, music, and piano, around 100 children and organizers are awarded with money, ranging from 1000 to 5000 yuan. It’s important, and it supports their growth and their family.”

The China Global Philanthropy Institute, based in Shenzhen, is one of the sponsors of the event.

The vice president of the institute, Huang Haoming, said that it’s important to provide children who have a disability with an opportunity for self-improvement, and to be a part of their community.

“I think everyone in society should respect these children with a disability, and their families. They should be given a chance to find out what skills they’ve got, and to improve themselves. We should give them equality. And we should help them to integrate with their local community, and in the whole of society, so they feel the love and warmth of their society. Their self-esteem should also be respected.”

Each year, several families taking part in the competition are picked to go overseas, so they have an opportunity to experience the local art and culture of another country.

Last year’s trip was to the United States; this year’s group travelled to Russia.

19-year-old Wang Yupu took part in the competition in 2016.

In 2017 he was recruited by the Tianjin Arts and Crafts Vocational College, where his major is painting.

“I want to find a good job after I graduate from university. I also want to go to Germany for further study. I want to live on my own.”

During the awards ceremony, the mother of a boy with autism said that her son’s life became more colorful after he learned how to paint.

“He has been learning painting for six years, and he loves it. I think painting helps to calm his mood. He used to get angry easily before he learned painting. Now, he becomes relatively quiet, and has something to focus on. He has become more easygoing and willing to express himself.”

Some of the children who take part in the competition have taken to playing basketball. Stefan Raicevic came to China from Serbia. He works at the Harlem Show1 basketball academy in Beijing, and has been teaching these kids over the past three years.

“For us, this is the first time in China doing this. And we have already been working for more than three years to helping and developing Chinese disabled kids. Like I said, this is the first time to work like this and it’s becomes easier and easier because those kids help us a lot and we help them also.”

Official data shows that there are more than 9 million children with a disability living in China, and their number grows by around 200-thousand each year.