Artist's foundation sponsors summer camp in Beijing

Han Meilin speaks at the summer camp opening which was held at the National Stadium on Monday morning. Photo provided to China Daily

Nearly 100 students and teachers from seven Hope primary schools funded by celebrated artist Han Meilin are enjoying a weeklong summer camp in Beijing arranged by the Han Meilin Art Foundation.

The campers will tour the capital's tourist spots including the National Stadium (Bird's Nest), the Great Hall of the People and the Palace Museum. They will also meet movie stars including Pan Hong and Huang Xiaoming who make donations to the schools. The group will also watch the national gymnastic team during routine training and be able to try some of the gymnastic apparatus under the guidance of world champions Huang Xu and Teng Haibin.

Above all, they will visit Han's art gallery in Beijing, where they will paint with the artist. At the camp opening ceremony, each of the seven schools presented a large painting done by the students to portray their hometown's distinctive landscapes.

Han established his reputation as a prolific artist and for his dedication to charity. In 2009, he funded the seven Hope schools in poverty-stricken villages in Zhejiang, Yunnan, Gansu and Hunan provinces and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, including one Tibetan school. He named five of them after the five Fuwa mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which he was the chief designer of. His hope is that art can enrich the life of children in underprivileged areas and inspire them to create a brighter future.