Young artists brighten Wuhan with paintings

WUHAN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Looking down from the sightseeing balloon, tourists are amazed by the ground painting in the East Lake scenic area in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province.

Covering an area of 6,000 square meters, the painting depicts a koi fish, which represents good luck in the Chinese culture, and Wuhan's iconic Yellow Crane Tower.

It is created by the "Super Painters" team, a group of young artists who paint on surfaces such as the ground, walls and power distribution cabinets to brighten public areas of the city with colors.

The team has finished hundreds of works in Wuhan, which can be found in many places such as popular scenic spots, business districts and apartment buildings. Some of the paintings are so eye-catching that passersby stop and take photos, while short videos of the paintings have gone viral on social media.

"The paintings are not only art but a window showcasing the city's spirit and culture," said Zhang Hao, 32, founder of the "Super Painters."

Zhang graduated from the Hubei Institute of Fine Arts and started the team in 2016. Having lived in Wuhan for over 10 years, he has deep affection for the city. Therefore, symbols of Wuhan are always the themes of his paintings.

"I grew up by the Yangtze River. I want to raise people's awareness of eco-protection through the adorable smiles of the finless porpoises," Zhang said.

When Wuhan began to renovate some old residential buildings in 2019, the team acquired a permit to put the finless porpoises on the 200-square-meter wall of one apartment building, which turned out to be a great success. Since then, the team has finished several other wall paintings themed on finless porpoises.

Twenty-five-year-old Hu Meiting, a member of the team, decided to join the "Super Painters" when she saw the ground painting in the East Lake scenic area. "It's so cool to draw such a large picture that can only be fully appreciated high above the ground," she said.

"They chase their dreams so hard, and I'm proud to be part of them," she added.

Now, the team is getting more professional and has formed a standard operating procedure. "We will go on decorating our city with paintings and stick to our aim of making the city more beautiful," Zhang said.