?People visit an exhibition in Cairo, Egypt, on Feb. 16, 2019. Paintings of famous Chinese female painter Qin Bailan ornamented an international exhibition in the Egyptian capital Cairo. The exhibition was part of the third edition of Awladna International Forum for Arts of the Gifted. Qin, whose paintings are about traditional figures, said that she has been promoting for the Chinese culture through her paintings for 40 years. Despite her disability, Qin did not allow it to define her. She has made a name for herself as one of China's best artists. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
by Ahmed Shafiq
CAIRO, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Paintings of famous Chinese female painter Qin Bailan ornamented an international exhibition in the Egyptian capital Cairo.
The exhibition was part of the third edition of Awladna International Forum for Arts of the Gifted.
The festival, which provided a chance for people with special needs from 37 countries to showcase their talents, started on Feb. 15 and will run until Feb. 22.
"It's my honor to be here to attend this festival," Qin told Xinhua as she passionately observed visitors watching her works showcased at Cairo Opera House.
Qin, whose paintings are about traditional figures, said that she has been promoting for the Chinese culture through her paintings for 40 years.
Despite her disability, Qin did not allow it to define her. She has made a name for herself as one of China's best artists.
In 2004, she won a golden prize at the Beijing International Art Expo. In 2010, she was elected as one of the "Artists Touching China."
"The paintings are all about beautiful traditional Chinese figures and you could directly understand the charm of Chinese culture when you stand in front of my paintings," she proudly said.
"When I come to this exhibition room, many people talk to me and express their appreciation for my paintings and I am very happy about that," Qin added.
Over the past 40 years, Qin has been diligently working to create thousands of paintings of women and children from Chinese history.
Between 1997 and 2012, she held exhibitions in more than 50 countries, including the United States, France, Germany, Italy, and Egypt.
She has extensively studied the history of Chinese historical and mythical characters. The figures which she paints are truly beautiful and refined.
"I use traditional techniques to paint traditional figures. I believe this festival would have a huge impact on many countries," Qin said.
Although the painting exhibition embraced dozens of outstanding works, Qin's paintings drew attention of the visitors who showed great admiration of her art.
"These drawings are beautiful," Felicia Ojutieku, a disabled singer from Nigeria, told Xinhua.
Ojutieku, who is representing her country in the festival, said that the works of Qin can be a message to everyone that disability cannot be a barrier to creativity and innovation.
"I have gotten a big push after seeing these great paintings ... this was very much encouraging for everyone of us," she said before she went to take a photo with Qin.
Yasser al-Ghobery, an Egyptian researcher of artistic criticism, said that Qin's works are very rich with colors and inspiration.
"Her works are simple and impressive at the same time ... the paintings reflect the Chinese culture very well throughout history," he said, adding that Qin is a good example of people's will to overcome disability with art.
After China and Egypt upgraded the bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2014, cultural exchanges have been increasing with frequent visits by artists, as well as cultural and musical delegations from both sides.
