A drawing by 17-year-old Wei Wei, who has won the first prize at a teenage and kids painting competition in Hong Kong organized by Renmin University's Xu Beihong School of Arts. [CNR.cn]

The late Chinese painting master Xu Beihong was primarily known for his Chinese ink paintings of horses and birds. He was also one of the first Chinese artists to articulate the need for artistic expressions that reflect a new modern China at the beginning of the 20th century.

To remember the maestro and encourage young painting talents, Renmin University's Xu Beihong School of Arts has organized a nationwide teenage and kids painting contest. And the prize winners in the Hong Kong S.A.R. have just been released.

During the second running of the event, the competition in Hong Kong lasted ten months. Hundreds of local youngsters thronged to the Central Library on Sunday morning. They were there to attend the closing ceremony, and enjoy the award-winning works.

Some 600 paintings were selected from 12-thousand candidates, put forward by the students of over a hundred primary and middle schools in Hong Kong. Among the works were various forms of fine arts, including sketching, printing, oil painting and cartoon drawings. Many of them were considered positive and inspirational.

The son of Xu Beihong, Xu Qingping, who is also the director of the Xu Beihong Art Institute, was on hand to reward the winners during the ceremony.

(CCTV December 16, 2008)