Etchings convey teenagers' impressions of ancient Macau

Etchings convey teenagers' impressions of ancient Macau

A total of 62 copperplate etchings created by local high school students is on display at the are now on display at the “Heritage of Ancient Macau” at the Beijing Macao Centre.

The China Daily yesterday reported that the artworks will be exhibited until April 16.

"In 1601, a missionary brought copperplate etching skills from the West to China and the art form played an important role in China-western cultural exchange. The Catholic School of the Sea and Stars gratefully accepted the invitation from the Macao Center to show this ancient aspect of Macau's culture in Beijing and share the achievements of the Art and Design Department of our school," Choi Chi U, principal of the high school, said at the exhibition's opening ceremony on Thursday.

According to the report, the high school started the etching course in their Art and Design Department in 2007 and the first intake of students on the course are now in the third year of senior high.

Yang Qianfei, one of the first students to take up the course, was quoted as saying it “had been a really fantastic opportunity to be able to learn this art form from their teacher Wong Cheng Pou, who is very famous in the field.”

Yang Qianfei has one of her etchings, called Hebian Xinjie (The New Street by the River), at the exhibition in Beijing. She said it took her three weeks to complete. Unlike the other teenagers who had chosen subjects of real places in Macao, except hers, she had been inspired by an old photo of Hebian Xinjie and the beautiful scenery had been fixed in her mind. There is a grand hotel on the site she depicted and she said she hoped people would protect Macao's ancient architectural heritage before it is all lost.

According to the report, art teacher Wong Cheng Pou traveled to Beijing with 24 high school students, and was quoted by China Daily as saying this was a great opportunity for students to show both the beauty of Macau and their own outstanding achievements.

The report also added that the Catholic School of the Sea and Stars was the first and so far remains the only school in Macau to offer an etching course.

The exhibition was organised jointly by the Penha Creative Arts Centre and the Catholic School of the Sea and Stars.

Sunday, 05 April 2009
Macau Daily Times