HK children’s painted scroll sets Guinness World Record

By Grace Chai in Hong Konggrace@chinadailyhk.迷你倉出租comHong Kong set a new Guinness World Record on Friday with the longest-ever children's painting, a 1,100-meter-scroll, depicting Victoria Harbour at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.Cheng Dong, official adjudicator of Guinness World Records announced the successful record-breaking attempt, and Peter Lam Kin-ngok, chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, witnessed the historic moment.Thirty young Hong Kong artists had created the draft for the scroll since July, and the remaining task was to paint the beautiful Victoria Harbour shore in watercolors. The work was completed by more than 2,000 Hong Kong residents, mostly children, each of whom received an official certificate of participation.This event is a special part of the International Children Painting Competition (ICPC) in Hong Kong 2012/13."This is a dream come true for me," said Henry Lau, a renowned Hong Kong artist and founder of the event. During a European painting competition eight years ago, Lau first had the idea of organizing an international competition in Hong Kong to act as a platform for young and talented local artists.The competition was launched by the Promotion of Young Artists' Foundation in September last year. More than 10,000 paintings from 52 countries and regions were submitted in the first round and 60 finalists chosen thereafter.They and 20 local contestants entered the final round, a six-day on-site painting of seven landmarks and tourist attractions in Hong Kong, including Ocean Park, Stanley Plaza, Chek Lap Kok Internationa迷你倉 Airport and the MTR stations.The event marked the inaugural visit of many international students and teachers to Hong Kong who were inspired by its aesthetic. "The light here is very good for painting, like crystal," said Liudmila Lonescu, an art teacher from Nicolae Tonitza High School of Plastic Arts in Romania."Painting is a reflection of culture. I hope local students can communicate with international participants and know more about their styles and techniques, and more importantly, their perspectives and culture," said Lau.Sun Wei, a professor at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts and one of the competition judges, shared the same opinion: "In the collision of culture, we may find creativity."Despite the language difficulties, international and local students communicated their ideas through the colors and lines on paper using pencils, crayon and brushes in their hands.Organizers of the event were also hoping to discover local talents of an international standard. As a result, 12 experts were invited to the judging panel, many of whom are founders of similar competitions in their respective countries.Among the judges was Kosta Hadzi Antonovski, known as the "godfather" of children's art education. He said the competition reflects the fact Hong Kong has become a city of art.Nellie Fong Wong Kut-man, chairwoman of the ICPC organizing committee, announced the kick-off of next year's competition, and revealed that an exhibition of the artworks, or even the possibility of a charity auction, is under discussion with the Hong Kong Tourism Board.儲存倉