Beijing, 22 August 2025 – The semi-final of the calligraphy and Chinese painting categories in the 2025 “Golden Age Cup” National Senior Arts Showcase was held at the Open University of China (OUC).
A panel of distinguished experts including renowned contemporary calligrapher LI Gangtian; ZHU Peier, member of the Chinese Calligraphy Education Steering Committee under the Ministry of Education; and SHAO Jun, professor at Communication University of China, conducted the evaluation. FAN Xianrui, Vice President of OUC and the Seniors University of China (SUC) and XU Mingjun, Deputy Secretary of the CPC OUC Committee, attended the event.
In her opening remarks, Vice President FAN emphasised that high-quality senior education is a key part of the national strategy on population aging and a strong support for building a leading country in education. Over the past five years, the National Elderly Education Teaching Achievement Exhibition, a nationwide flagship initiative planned and coordinated by SUC, has attracted thousands of institutions, tens of thousands of works and hundreds of thousands of participants. It has become a premier platform for showcasing the learning achievements, lifelong learning ethos and vibrant spirit of today’s older adults. “This exhibition is more than a review of learners’ works; it is an opportunity to reflect on and improve our senior education outcomes,” FAN noted. “Through the judges’ expertise and the power of art, we aim to inspire more older learners to immerse themselves in cultural practice and let their brush-and-ink talents truly flourish.”
A total of 4,060 submissions were received in the calligraphy and Chinese painting heats, with 500 soft-brush calligraphy works and 300 Chinese paintings qualified for the semi-final. From these, the panel selected 70 calligraphy pieces and 50 paintings for a forthcoming offline exhibition. Representatives from China Education Television, the SUC Academic Affairs Office, the OUC School of Art, and OUC Bell & Horn Education and Technology Beijing Co., Ltd. participated in the semi-final evaluation.
The 2025 “Golden Age Cup” National Senior Arts Showcase, funded by the Beijing OUC Education Foundation, covers eight categories - vocal music, dance, instrumental music, traditional opera, recitation, fashion design & modelling, soft-brush calligraphy and Chinese painting. Nearly 9,000 works were submitted by around 40,000 participants; 1,291 works have progressed to the semi-final stage across all categories. All semi-final activities are expected to conclude in early September.
Contributed by OUC Bell & Horn