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Giving love to children through art
By:Wu Qiong   |  From:english.eastday.com  |  2019-10-11 16:13

As a versatile artist, Sarit Shay loves China. Since she came to Shanghai a few years ago, she has found that Shanghai is her spiritual home. That is partly why she travels to the city once or twice every year. One connection between the Israeli and the city is children. She is willing to give all of her love to Chinese children.

Her wish became stronger after she volunteered as an arts teacher at Shanghai Children’s Home, a local orphanage under the municipal civil affairs bureau.

On October 10, Sarit had a class with some kids at the orphanage. Considering that next year is the Chinese Year of the Mouse, she taught the children how to draw mice. Introducing her own paintings, she tried to stimulate the kids’ imaginations.

Sarit tried her best to communicate with the students in Mandarin. As she said, she wanted them to understand that people share the same feelings, regardless of their appearance or skin color — just like the rats she had painted, which have their body language and facial expressions like smiling or crying. Though the children in the orphanage lack their parents’ care, and some are troubled with physical disabilities, they still have dreams and hope to realize what they want to be.

It turned out that the students’ creations were beyond Sarit’s expectation. One of the mice they painted could fly; one had an English name; another had superpowers like the Monkey King. “You are talented painters,” she said proudly to the kids after seeing their pictures.

When the class was over, Sarit was surrounded by the little kids who came to hug and kiss her. “I hope Sarit can come here again,” said one girl.

“Children are very important to me. I don't have children myself, so I treat them as my children,” confessed Sarit, whose eyes were already brimming with tears.

“I like Chinese kids very much. They are lovely, though sometimes when they see me, a foreigner with such blonde hair, they will be shocked, get shy, and even burst into tears,” said Sarit with a big smile.

Back in 2014, Sarit went to Beijing Language and Culture University for her Chinese study program, and she fell in love with the country, including the language and its people. Later, when she came to Shanghai, she said she felt like it was home, especially for a Jew like her, with the historical connection of the city sheltering Jewish refugees during WW2. So after she returned to her home country, she came back to Shanghai again and again. “Here in Shanghai, I feel free, no pressure at all. I am like a butterfly.”

Just like her artwork, Sarit is always full of positive energy and color. What she aspires to do is to bring her happiness to others, especially her love to the children in China. As her fondness of Chinese kids gets stronger, she has been making efforts to do charity work for the kids here.

(Sarit's artwork)

“I live in Haifa now, the 3rd largest city in Israel. Haifa and Shanghai have been sister cities for over 25 years. The University of Haifa and some Shanghai universities have student exchange programs. My goal is that each year we can send the students here to the Shanghai Children’s Home to teach these students.”

She even wants to do more and is going to publish a painting book about the Year of the Rat, from which the proceeds will be given away to the kids at the orphanage.

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