The Confucius Institute at Bangor University, at the urging of its foreign executive director, Dr. David Joyner, decided to create a cultural exhibition classroom to allow for a more realistic Chinese experience. The first stage of the project was the decoration of the classroom’s interior walls. Prof. Zhang Liying, Chinese co-director of the Institute, who studied oil painting for 10 years, took the lead on the decoration. David Carter and Stacey Stewart, two Level 2 preparatory students majoring in fine arts at Coleg Menai Parc Menai, also contributed. The main part of the mural depicts a close-up view of a Chinese teahouse and is made up of four pieces. The area in front of the mural allows for various Confucius Institute performances, such as a Peking opera. The second part of the mural depicts a distant view of the Guilin landscape, which audiences will be able to enjoy during performances. The third part of the mural is a scenic view containing the ancient villages of Xidi and Hongcun in Anhui province. Finally, the fourth part depicts the Great Wall, which can serve as a symbol of Chinese culture on different occasions.
The painting started on 28 July as scheduled, with David responsible for Xidi and Hongcun, Stacey in charge of the Great Wall, and Prof. Zhang taking care of the Guilin landscape. The three joined together to complete the teahouse part. After several days’ painstaking efforts, the work was completed on 31 July.
The three sketched the mural together
David was responsible for painting Xidi and Hongcun
Stacey was in charge of painting the Great Wall
Prof. Zhang was responsible for the Guilin landscape
The three working together on the teahouse scene
Completing the Hongcun part
Completing the teahouse part
