Tan Yifan cicitan2011@gmail.com EXPATS in Guangdong Province are invited to join a local Chinese calligraphy contest with a top prize of 10,000 yuan (US$1,471), the organizers announced June 14 at the Shenzhen Oriental Art Gallery. The Oriental Cup Chinese Calligraphy Contest for the International Community of Guangdong aims to provide opportunities for expats living in the province to learn more about Chinese culture, experience Chinese fine art and display their artistic talent. Enthusiasts with valid Chinese visas are eligible to participate. All they have to do is mail their calligraphy before July 31 or submit the work in person to the Shenzhen Oriental Art Gallery. All works must be in Chinese using an ink brush on Xuan paper. The content of the work can be Chinese poems, Chinese characters or original creations, and the work must not be involved in a copyright dispute and must strictly follow the size requirement (height 68 cm x width 68 cm, height 136 cm x width 34 cm, or height 70 cm x width 46 cm — the latter two sizes require the artwork to be displayed vertically). Underpaid mail cannot be accepted. The participants are required to write down their real name, nationality, current residence, date of birth, mailing and email addresses and cell phone number on the lower left corner of the work using pencil. They also have to type the same information on a Word document and email it to oriental_cup@sina.com with a photo of the artist and a photo of the work. To encourage people to take part in the contest, the organizers are also allowing contestants to create and submit artwork to the gallery. Only reservations made via the Sina email above will be accepted. The winners will be announced through the gallery’s WeChat account, szdfmsg2016, and local media channels. The runners-up will receive 5,000 yuan each and the third-prize winners will get 2,000 yuan. The competition is co-organized by Futian’s information office, the Shenzhen Oriental Art Gallery, the China (Shenzhen) International Personnel Training Center, the Shenzhen Evening News, and the Shenzhen Calligraphy Association. It is financed by the Special Funds to Promote Culture and Sports Development in Futian District. According to Xie Xi, director of Futian’s culture and sports bureau, the fund has supported three calligraphy-related projects, and workshops on Chinese calligraphy have been set up in communities in Futian to help promote traditional Chinese culture. ? | 