With the whole country in some kind of lockdown, Zhu Yingchun’s regular visits to schools to interact with students will sadly not be possible for some time. As children across China grapple with a strange new normal, AC Lab (艺文力研究所) has invited Zhu Yingchun to respond to letters sent in from children, offering them encouragement, advice and inspiration in these unusual times. Here is a glimpse of some of the letters and responses…
Yu Qian 羽芊 is a grade 1 student from Wuhan, a dancer, sports enthusiast and avid painter. Since lockdown began in Wuhan she’s been staying at home while her parents help to build two new hospitals to treat patients with the coronavirus. In her letter to Zhu Yingchun she told him how much she likes his illustrations and designs and asked him:
“How do you have so many fantastic ideas?”
I’m delighted to hear that you like my books and, in response to your question, I’m certain that you have fantastic ideas too. Perhaps you are usually under a lot of pressure with your studies, so you have fewer opportunities to be inquisitive. Now that you’ve got such a long holiday and, if you’ve finished all your schoolwork, you have the chance to let your curiosity flourish. I’m a curious person and I like to make jokes (the nice kind of course), I also like to observe and do silly things that make others happy, that way I am also happier. Why don’t you give it a try?
In another letter from three-and-a-half-year-old Han Ge 涵哥, he tells Zhu Yingchun about how unusual life is under lockdown in Shenzhen. He’s been painting, doing exercise and helping with the housework, but it seems like he’s done everything there is to do. Han Ge imagines the coronavirus has two long trumpet-shaped tentacles that can infect people from far away. With every day spent at home, he asks Zhu Yingchun:
“How can I find more fun things to do?”
Your drawing of the coronavirus is very good, with its long tentacles that can infect people from far away. After looking at it, I will take extra care, be sure to wear my mask properly and avoid busy places.
You asked me how to find more fun things to do at home. I think there’s a side to everything that’s worth observing. Recently I’ve been trying to look carefully at things around the house that I usually ignore. I’ve been watching an onion as it grows. In the past I’d buy an onion, take it home and chop it up to cook with, but this time I put it in a pot under the sun by the windowsill. It’s so interesting to watch it everyday as it grows green leaves. I took a photo of it and drew some bugs over it.
I also heard garlic is good at killing bacteria, so I made a picture of some bulbs of garlic like canons that shoot at the virus. With just a little observation, aren’t there plenty of fun things to find at home?
