Exchange between Chinese EFL Students and Middle and Upper School American Students
Middle and Upper School art students at an American school, "The Epiphany School of Global Studies," and four middle school students in China, studying English as a Foreign Language, participated in a cultural exchange. The Chinese students wrote poems or descriptive paragraphs about peace (what inner peace means to them or a description of a peaceful place). The American art students illustrate the writings and also write their own artist's statement about their work and about peace.
Exchange #1
A Small River by "Penglian" (the English name that the Chinese student took for her own)
A small clear river A small limpid river A small silent river A small bridge over it A small bridge over it A small bridge over it A luxuriant forest on the left A couple standing on the right A giant mountain in the distance A number of birds flying above A small baby in her belly A reflection of the sun in the golden water That’s a green world That’s a happy world That’s a warm world
Student 1: My drawing is entitled “The Peaceful Valley.” For this piece I used colored pencils, and watercolor pencils. It was inspired by a poem written by a Chinese schoolgirl from near Chengdu, China. The poem is entitled “A Small River.’’
This poem is her vision of a peaceful place, I interpreted that by creating the vision of the river, mountains, and couple that I had while reading the poem. The mountains in the distance represent the challenges the couple have gone through and overcome. The river represents the final obstacle to overcome before they cross over into a beautiful fertile forest and valley. That valley represents the couple’s happy place, where they would feel peaceful and content. I believe that the illustration I drew shows that the couple overcame all of their struggles in life to reach inner peace and find the perfect place to raise their future child. Her version of peace differs from mine, but they share an element. My version of a peaceful place would be a beach. (Teacher note: As Lexie stated in her artist's statement, water was a commonality for both of them for peace--but, because of their different experiences (Chengdu is far from the ocean and the author of the poem may have never seen the ocean) they could be as the Chinese say, "Same, same -- but, different."
Student 2: This artwork is based on a poem called, “ A Small River,” which is written by Peace; it talked about a small bridge over a clear river; a couple standing on the right of the river, while birds were flying above them. There was a forest on the left, and mountains in the background. This poem is describing what the author thought of a peaceful place. I did this artwork based on the poem; I used watercolors, salt, and sharpie to complete this project. I first sketched the drawing and used watercolors to paint it; I used salts to create the effect that the water has; and I used a black sharpie to draw the circles on the bridge. The author and I have the same idea of a peaceful place because we both like terrains such as rivers and mountains, and we both like landscape, sun, and birds.
Student 3: This watercolor painting depicts a peaceful place as described by a Chinese student, who chose the name Peace, in a poem. This picture shows how peace is found in nature and in each other. I attempted to create a soft, warm, and light portrait of a peaceful moment. Even though we are of different cultures and lifestyles, the explanation of peace is very similar. I find peace in the mountains because they are so big and vast. They are also calming to me. This seems to be the same for her too. One thing, I think, that a ninth grade student living in the United States would not have added in the poem is the portion about the couple.
Student 4: This representation of peace alludes directly to that of the poem. The interpretation of the poem was taken in a very literal manner as it was sought that nature and serenity was her idea of a peaceful place. Therefore, my painting accurately portrays her vision that she has proclaimed thorough words. However, specific details were liberated with my own artistic license as she stayed quite vague with it. This painting depicts a peaceful place because it creates mental calmness and allows the interpreter to be more “free-flowing.”
Exchange #2
That's a Charming Place!
A narrow pathway is surrounded by many trees. Walking along, the pathway, the blue sky and green earth appear before our class. So beautiful! There is a rivulet and fish play in it. Passing through the bridge and the lush willow, an old but special house appears! Beside the house is a yard. There are plenty of plants, for example, flowers and fruit trees! What’s more, there are also colorful birds. Next to the yard, there is a dog with yellow fur, who is observing something. Near the house, an old couple are sitting under the big tree chatting. They are hand in hand and they look very happy! The warm sun are shining on their face.
Aidan: The assignment was to draw a picture from one of two poems that were created by Chinese students. This picture I drew, made of pastel, depicts the poem, "That's A Charming Place." It shows a path that is going over a river with a old tree on the left side. The path leads to a house with a willow tree almost on the path. There is two old people sitting on a bench in the bottom left corner with a dog sitting next to them. There is a bird on the old tree staring at the sunset like the dog and old couple. The sun that they are staring at is a red sunset. This poem depicts a Chinese student's idea of their peaceful place and I agree that this is a very peaceful place.