Here at the China Farmers Art Show, unvarnished homemade crafts are on show, inside the China Agricultural Exhibition Hall.
The Olympic spirit is being distilled in art all around the country. One noteworthy example is a group of artistic Chinese farmers. They use agricultural products, like beans and dough, to mould works of art, based on the Olympic theme.
Here at the China Farmers Art Show, unvarnished homemade crafts are on show, inside the China Agricultural Exhibition Hall. There're Olympic emblems made of walnuts and dough. There're also works made from beans and cloth.
Through diverse arts, including paper-cutting, embroidery, wood carving, bamboo weaving and shadow play, the exhibition illuminates aspects of farm life. It speaks to tilling the fields, or cultivation of crops as much as it does to family life.
To the east, in Shanghai, a set of musical instruments was fashioned especially for the Olympic Games. Traditional Chinese instruments like the Chinese zither, fiddle, flute and plucked string instruments are decorated with symbols of the Beijing Olympics. During the Games in August, the instruments will be on show at different venues.
Heading south to the Macao Special Administrative Region, Olympic sculptures are showing. Chinese female volleyball players, in training for the World Women's Volleyball Grand Prix in Macao, attended the opening ceremony for the exhibition.
Scores of Macao residents turned out, despite driving rain. The exhibition includes over 60 sculptures relating to Olympic events. Several activities are planned during the course of the exhibition. They are part of the Olympic promotion, meant to engage local residents in the spirit of the Games. The exhibition runs until August 24th and is sponsored by the Macao Sport Development Board.