The China-Ecuador commemorative envelope, is unveiled at the Liangmaqiao Diplomatic Office building in Beijing on Aug. 9, 2019. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)
The unveiling ceremony of the China-Ecuador commemorative envelope took place Friday at the Liangmaqiao Diplomatic Office building in Beijing.
Unveiling the commemorative envelope and addressing the ceremony were Wang Hua, deputy secretary-general of the China Foundation for Peace and Development and Carlos Larrea, Ecuadorian ambassador to China.
Titled Commemorative Covers Travel Thousands of Miles, Remain True to Our Original Aspiration, the event is part of a cultural exchange program sponsored by the China Foundation for Peace and Development to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, as well as to mark the formation of diplomatic ties with foreign countries.
Organized by Beijing-based Zhongyulidu Culture Co., Ltd., the event teamed up Chinese painter Weng Changjiang and Ecuadorian artist Leo Cevallos, who jointly created the painting featured on the commemorative envelope, Ancient Bridge and Blessed Virgin Mary.
Ancient Bridge and Blessed Virgin Mary, a painting jointly created by Chinese painter Weng Changjiang and Ecuadorian artist Leo Cevallos, is used as the main picture on the China-Ecuador commemorative envelope. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)
The co-produced artwork, a fruit of the cultural exchange between China and Ecuador, symbolizes the longstanding friendship between the two nations and the confidence in their future relations.
Featured in the right part of the painting is the Virgin Mary treading on two serpents, a classic motif in western painting symbolizing the eternal triumph of good over evil.
In the left part of the painting is the Anji Bridge in the Chinese ink painting style. As China's oldest standing bridge dating back to the Sui Dynasty (581-618), it stands for the firm and longstanding friendship between China and Ecuador, which established diplomatic relations with China in 1980 and joined the Belt and Road Initiative in December 2018.
Reading Girl, an ink painting by Chinese artist Weng Changjiang, is used as the subordinate picture on the China-Ecuador commemorative envelope. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)
With the joint work used as the main picture on the envelope, both artists also contributed one of their own existing works ? Reading Girl by Weng and Vibrancy by Cevallos — serving as subordinate pictures featured on the upper right part of the cover.
The artwork on the commemorative envelopes carries great meaning. Artists were inspired by representative elements of their own countries, and collaborated to record the beautiful friendship between people through art, Wang said in his opening remarks.
"This year marks the 70th birthday of the PRC and next year we'll celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties with China," Larrea said. "Therefore, the issuance of the China-Ecuador commemorative envelope is so meaningful and the envelope is a special bond that unites our two peoples, which is the core spirit advocated by the Belt and Road Initiative."
Vibrancy, a work by Ecuadorian artist Leo Cevallos, is used as the subordinate picture on the China-Ecuador commemorative envelope. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)
Guests pose for a group photo at the unveiling ceremony of the China-Ecuador commemorative envelope at the Liangmaqiao Diplomatic Office building in Beijing on Aug. 9, 2019. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)
