Envelope Celebrates Chinese Friendship with Russia

The China-Russia commemorative cover, featuring the oil painting Harmonious Beauty co-created by Chinese artist Xu Li and Russian artist Vera Lagutenkova, is unveiled at the Liangmaqiao Diplomatic Office building in Beijing, July 19, 2019. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The unveiling ceremony for the China-Russia commemorative envelope took place Friday at the Liangmaqiao Diplomatic Office building in Beijing.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China as well as the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-Russia diplomatic relations.

Themed Commemorative Covers Travel Thousands of Miles, Remain True to Our Original Aspiration, the event was part of the cultural exchange program sponsored by the China Foundation for Peace and Development to celebrate PRC's anniversary and mark its diplomatic ties with foreign countries.

The program, organized by the Beijing-based Zhongyulidu Culture Co, Ltd, teams up an array of Chinese and foreign artists, co-creating artworks featured on the commemorative covers, showcasing the achievements of cultural exchange between China and its friends.

The painting Harmonious Beauty on the China-Russia commemorative cover, a half-length portrait jointly created by Chinese painter Xu Li and Russian artist Vera Lagutenkova, embodies the close friendship between the two countries spanning seven decades.

Guests pose for a group photo at the unveiling ceremony for the China-Russia commemorative cover at the Liangmaqiao Diplomatic Office building in Beijing, July 19, 2019. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The oil painting features a maiden with half of her face Chinese and the other half Russian. Adorned with traditional headpieces from both countries, the work also features bamboos and birch trees, plants symbolic of China and Russia.

The two girls' faces were merged into one, representing China-Russia ties and and the new vistas drawn by artists from both countries, Xu said.

Culture is a universal language that requires no translation. When looking at the painting, people can see a complete face, which symbolizes the close friendship between our two peoples and also means that both countries will press ahead together, said Lagutenkova in her speech at the ceremony.

Unveiling the commemorative envelope and addressing the ceremony were Xu Jianguo, secretary-general of the China Foundation for Peace and Development, Irena Gavva, first secretary of the Russian Embassy in China, and Vera Lagutenkova, secretary of the Russia Artists Association.