Building the Dream of China-Africa Modernization Together
2026 “Colorful World” China-Africa Youth Painting Invitational Exhibition and “Youth Will” Beijing Youth Art Biennale Open at the China Millennium Monument
To implement the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), encourage Chinese and African youth to carry forward the traditional friendship, and jointly advance China-Africa modernization, the 2026 “Colorful World” China-Africa Youth Painting Invitational Exhibition and “Youth Will” Beijing Youth Art Biennale was jointly hosted at the China Millennium Monument. The event was guided by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and hosted by the Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, China Communist Youth League Beijing Committee, Information Office of Beijing Municipality, and Beijing Federation of Literary & Art Circles. The exhibition's award ceremony and opening ceremony were held at the China Millennium Monument on August 11. More than 150 people attended, including diplomats to China from Mauritius; officials from the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the event's hosting, co-organizing, and undertaking organizations; award-winning Chinese and African youth representatives; council members of the Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; and African friends living in Beijing.
Lu Xiangdong, Vice President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, delivered remarks. He noted that 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between China and African countries and is also the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, as jointly agreed by President Xi Jinping and African leaders. More than 700 diverse people-to-people exchange activities have already been held across China and Africa, and this painting exhibition would add a vibrant youthful touch to the Year. He called on all sides to cherish the traditional China-Africa friendship and consolidate the foundation of people-to-people affinity; deepen practical cooperation and build consensus on jointly advancing modernization; and strengthen youth exchanges to write a new chapter in China-Africa cooperation.
Mr. Gaetan Siew, Ambassador of Mauritius to China, warmly congratulated the organizers on the successful exhibition. He noted that 23 young Mauritian artists had received awards - a welcome cause for celebration for an island nation such as Mauritius. Art, he said, is one of the most beautiful forms of expression. Although histories, traditions, and languages may differ, art transcends divides and builds bridges of communication. He expressed hope that the exhibition would inspire broader exchanges between China and Africa, and that young artists would keep creating - not only beautiful works, but also a future of peace, understanding, and shared prosperity.
Wang Yu, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Executive Vice President of Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said that the “Colorful World” China-Africa Youth Painting Exhibition is an important initiative by the association to advance the China-Africa Partnership Action for People-to-People Exchanges under the framework of the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. It is also a concrete effort to build a bridge of friendship among young people and nurture a new generation committed to China-Africa friendship. Through the language of art, young Chinese and African artists have expressed their artistic reflections and their sense of responsibility to the times. He voiced the hope that they would portray the splendid prospects of China-Africa modernization, share the spirit of friendship, and create a new chapter in people-to-people friendship between China and Africa through artistic exchange.
The exhibition is themed “Building the Dream of China-Africa Modernization Together.” Since its launch in May, it has received 3,364 works by young people from 31 African countries and 27 Chinese provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. The young artists explored China-Africa friendship, mutual learning among civilizations, technological innovation, and youthful dreams. Their works both revisit the thousand-year history of China-Africa friendship and vividly imagine a bright shared future. Following expert review and a final review by the organizing committee, 172 works by African youth and 853 works by Chinese youth received awards, while 47 works were shortlisted for the “Youth Will” Beijing Youth Art Biennale. To recognize the active participation of African embassies in China, friendship organizations, overseas Chinese associations, friendship associations in other provinces and cities, schools, and art institutions, 28 organizations received Outstanding Organization Awards. Chinese and international guests announced the winners and presented certificates to award-winning Chinese and African representatives and recipients of the organizational awards.
The program also featured African dance and music performed by African friends and international students in Beijing. The Burundian folk dance Ngira Nivuge opened the event with a harvest celebration in song and dance. African students from Beijing International Studies University performed Assembled Africa, whose energetic choreography captured the vitality of the African continent. The classic African song Karaoké Envole-moi – Génération Goldman expressed young people's passionate pursuit of dreams and distant horizons. Maria, founder of the Sierra Leone China Friendship Association and an African cultural ambassador known as the “Black Pearl,” sang I Love Beijing, I Love Africa, conveying through music a wish for enduring friendship between China and Africa.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Chinese and African guests jointly launched the 2026 “Colorful World” China-Africa Youth Painting Invitational Exhibition and “Youth Will” Beijing Youth Art Biennale before touring the exhibition together.
The exhibition was undertaken by the Beijing Youth Art Development Association and Beijing Gehua Cultural Centre Co.,Ltd., with active support from the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Beijing Municipal People's Government, CICG Center for International Cultural Communication, and Chinese Headline New Media, lending the event a diverse and professional character. It features two main sections: the “Colorful World” China-Africa Youth Artworks Exhibition and the “Youth Will” Beijing Youth Art Biennale, together presenting nearly 1,200 outstanding works. The children's and junior groups use watercolor, oil paint, crayon, ink, and other vivid media to express youthful innocence and imaginative visions of the future. The youth group works in Chinese painting, oil painting, printmaking, sculpture, digital art, and other media to convey artistic ideas and reflections on contemporary life. These artistic practices - spanning countries, ages, and media - are both a declaration of friendship written by Chinese and African youth with their paintbrushes and an in-depth presentation of contemporary Chinese youth art. They are both an artistic tribute to the achievements of China-Africa friendship and cooperation and a youthful response to building China-Africa modernization together.
The exhibition is on view in the second-floor galleries of the China Millennium Monument through August 16. Visitors are warmly invited to experience these works, discover the declaration of friendship written by Chinese and African youth in color and line, and step into an artistic world alive with diversity and hope.