The Italian International Nursery and Kindergarten is pleased to announce its participation in the 9th edition of the “Hui Yi Bei” painting competition for children (“Paint Italy” Award), whose theme is “In search of Marco Polo. An extraordinary journey between China and Italy."

The “Hui Yi Bei” painting competition has been organized since 2015 by the Italian Cultural Institute in Beijing, in collaboration with Ceramica d'Imola (China) – Zhuchao Group, with the academic support of the Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum. The competition is aimed at children aged 3 to 12, and each year it proposes a theme closely linked to Italian culture as the theme for the works in competition. In recent years, the initiative has involved over 40,000 children from hundreds of Chinese locations who, interpreting a different theme chosen each year by the Italian Cultural Institute, participated with their artistic contributions.

Marco Polo was a Venetian traveler and merchant who ventured along the ancient Silk Road to the Far East in the 13th century. Today he is considered the cultural mediator par excellence between East and West, as well as the symbol of relations between Italy and China. The celebrations for the 700th anniversary of his death represent a tribute not only to his historical figure, but also to the symbolic value that Marco Polo represents in terms of dialogue and centuries-old ties between Italy and China.

The children of the Italian International Nursery and Kindergarten will discover the figure of Marco Polo during lessons at school, and will then carry out the drawings at home with their families, as child-parent activities. There are no predefined styles and sizes for drawing, maximum space for children's creativity! Deadline for collecting works: Monday 15 April.

Great fun and good luck to all the children!

Italian International Nursery and Kindergarten