Art opens up creativity of Tibetan kids

陈小将

Students work in at a boarding school in Gala township of Yajiang, Sichuan province, last year. WANG PENG/CHINA NEWS SERVICE
A school art program introduced in the mountainous Gala township of the Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture in Sichuan province is fostering the creative development of the students there.

Wu Pengbo, an art teacher from Jinghua Elementary School in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has spent nearly a month at a Gala boarding school in Yajiang county, revolutionizing the role of art in these students' lives.

Wu, 36, arrived with the intent to support and enhance art education at the school as it had previously lacked a dedicated art teacher.

"I thought my presence could provide much-needed support," he said. In fact, the experience has turned out to be mutually transformative.

"Art doesn't need to be taught; it's an innate ability. My role is to provide materials and create an environment," he said.

Upon his arrival, Wu quickly revitalized the school's underutilized art classroom, which actually had better facilities than his own in Hangzhou.

"The school has an excellent art room with all the necessary equipment. Before I arrived, no one was using these materials. Since my arrival, teachers have introduced me and the art room to the students, encouraging them to use it during free time," Wu said.

He established an art club, inviting enthusiastic students to the art room during their free time and on weekends.

"Since they are boarders, they have about an hour of free time every afternoon, which many students use to visit the art room," Wu said.

Currently, around 30 students visit the art room daily, and over 100 come on weekends, with the room often filled to capacity.