Free international art exhibition marks first anniversary of Long Dragon School

This weekend, Zebrastraat will open its doors for free to anyone who wants to visit 'Visions of the Future', an international art exhibition by Belgian and Chinese youngsters. The exhibition features 200 Chinese and Ghent children's drawings. The event highlights the first anniversary of the Long Dragon School. ​

Ghent's Long Dragon School, where children and young people can take Chinese lessons, is celebrating its one-year anniversary. Hannes Van Cauwenberghe, the school's founder, wants to highlight this milestone with the free exhibition 'Visions of the Future'.

"The children were tasked with sketching a future image of a place on the other side of the world. Through art teachers, they searched for information about and images of China and Ghent. The drawings feature familiar elements such as the Graslei, cathedrals and Belgian beer," Van Cauwenberghe told VRTNWS.

Van Cauwenberghe opened the school's doors a year ago to introduce children to the land of the rising sun in a playful way. "We do this with teachers who have studied sinology at the university here in Flanders," Van Cauwenberghe stressed, also confirming that there is no censorship and the Chinese regime does not determine the teaching material.

Meanwhile, some 200 children have already found their way to the school, where they were introduced to the Chinese language and culture. The school provides both private and group lessons in Ghent. "We work together with one school where we teach Chinese after class; the other lessons are done online or at home," Van Cauwenberghe explained.

Those wishing to visit the 'Visions of the Future' exhibition can do so on Saturday from 2.30 pm to 6 pm. On Sunday, the exhibition in Ghent's Zebrastraat is accessible between 11 am and 6 pm.

^{#FlandersNewsService | © REUTERS/Tyrone Siu}