The Shenzhou-16 crew wave their hands as they extend greetings to the award-winners of a painting competition, which involved around 2,000 African young artists. Behind them are the selected paintings they took to space in May. Photo: Fan Anqi/ GT

Ten paintings embodying the beautiful dreams of African youths made their debut on Wednesday at the very first art exhibition on China Space Station. Taking the launch of these youth's dreams into space as a starting point, the potential for China-Africa space cooperation will be "as broad as the starry sea," said Shenzhou-16 commander Jing Haipeng as he showcased the paintings some 400 kilometers above Earth.

The debut took place at an awards ceremony for a painting competition in Beijing on Wednesday, the Global Times learned, which was organized by the China Manned Space Agency and the Secretariat of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

The competition received more than 2,000 paintings from 42 African countries, with 10 first prizes, 15 second prizes and 25 third prizes being awarded to young artists. The 10 first-prize paintings were taken to China Space Station by the Shenzhou-16 crew on May 30.

Director-General Wu Peng of the Department of African Affairs of Chinese Foreign Ministry said as he addressed the ceremony that the art exhibition is another vivid example of China's long-standing commitment to sharing development achievements and opportunities with Africa. The two have always been companions on the journey towards realizing dreams of prosperity, development, and peace.

"In today's complex world with intertwined challenges and accelerated changes, the collective rise of developing countries is unstoppable," Wu said. "Youth represent the future and hopes of nations, as well as the driving force behind China-African cooperation. Your aspirations for a better life and your pursuit of the development of China-Africa relations are a continuous source of strength for the inheritance of the traditional friendship between the two sides."

China is willing to support Africa in cultivating talents in various fields, creating more favorable conditions for African youth to pursue their dreams and providing them with broader opportunities, Wu said.

At the event, the Shenzhou-16 crew also extended their greetings to the African friends with a big smile and applauses. Behind them hung the paintings inside the space station cabin, as they gave detailed introductions for each painting, including the author, country of origin, as well as the meaning of the artwork and the beautiful aspirations it carries.

Gui Haichao, the first civilian taikonaut ever traveling to space, could not help but smiled cheerfully the entire time as he immersed himself in the joy that these colorful paintings brought him. Next to him was the Shenzhou-16 commander Jing Haipeng, who gave two thumbs-up for the brilliant ideas of African teenagers, and even took out his own photo at one point to share his thoughts and understandings toward these paintings.

Peter Prosper Oshoname, a 20-year-old first-prize winner from Nigeria, told the Global Times his ideas for the painting.

The painting, Shared Aspirations by Peter Prosper Oshoname from Nigeria, has been taken to China Space Station and debuts on September 14, 2023. Photo: Courtesy of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria

"I used a lot of circles, a lot of African patterns, and an African woman in my painting, because I want to emphasize three things. First, the circles have no edge and it brings unity between family and friends. Second, space is a place not just for male but for female, and not only for the white but for Africans as well. Every single person can have a chance to achieve this dream. And thirdly, I want to show that being alone is not possible. We have to build connections, we need partnership between Africa and China and other parts of the world to accomplish this dream," Oshoname said.

In May, when Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning commented on the art exhibition, she said that the youth from Africa, with their colorful paintings, have expressed the best wishes for China-Africa cooperation, peace and development, human progress and a better life. This is a true picture of the cultural exchanges and people-to-people bond between China and Africa. China stands ready to offer a platform for African youth to show the world their youthful vitality and their African dream and renew the China-Africa friendship.