Chinese ink paintings exhibited in Tunisia

The medium was Chinese but the subject Tunisian. An amalgamation of the cultures of the two geographically distant but historically close countries won an appreciative audience as six Chinese artists painted the scenes they had witnessed in the North African country during their 10-day stay.

Their work, done in the delicate traditional Chinese ink painting style, is being shown in Hammamet, a beach town in eastern Tunisia that is a prime tourist destination. The one-week exhibition, which was inaugurated Wednesday, is jointly organized by the Chinese and Tunisian ministries of culture as part of Sino-Tunisian cultural exchanges.

There are over 50 drawings by the six artists, who include Zhai Jianqun and Zhou Xiaoming, members of the Chinese Artists' Association, and Ding Xuejun, a professor of the renowned Rongbaozhai painting academy in Beijing.

The subjects range from landscapes and figures to Tunisian folk culture.

Zhai Jianqun told Xinhua that they had stayed in Tunisia for over 10 days to experience the local customs first hand. They painted Tunisia in traditional Chinese ink painting style.

"We (found) Tunisian artists know little about Chinese ink painting. (So) this exhibition is a good way to share our traditional painting culture with Tunisian artists," Zhai said. "We communicate and learn from each other."

Moez Mrabet, director of the International Cultural Center of Hammamet, said the exhibition was a good opportunity for Tunisian artists to learn about the Chinese painting technique.

Bai Guangming, cultural counselor at the Chinese embassy in Tunis, said Sino-Tunisian cultural ties have witnessed rapid development in recent years, thanks to frequent artistic exchanges. Such exchanges have helped expand communication and deepen cooperation between China and Tunisia, as well as promote mutual understanding.