On the morning of June 29, the 2025 Hengyang City Showcase of Achievements under the theme “Passing on Red Genes, Children’s Hearts to the Party” and the “Art Companions” Care Program for Left-behind Children was held at the Hengyang Broadcasting and Film Center. Liu Yuegao, Secretary of the CPC Hengyang Municipal Committee, and Zhao Chengxin, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the Hunan Provincial Party Committee and Director of the Hunan Civilization Office, attended the event and extended their care to representatives of left-behind children.

The showcase opened with the dance performance “Children’s Hearts Roar Like Lions, Drumming Dreams for the Future.” The following dance piece, “Imaginative Lions,” presented the spirit of the lion dance through a child’s perspective and graceful movements. The musical “Songs Let Me Soar” conveyed the power of musical dreams, inspiring a love for art in the hearts of left-behind children. The situational dance drama “As Wished Mountains and Rivers, Sparkling North Yue,” infused with elements of intangible cultural heritage shadow puppetry, nourished the stage with the brilliance of traditional Chinese culture. The poetry recitation “The Purest Love” eloquently expressed the mission upheld by the “Art Companions” initiative.

The performance comprised three chapters: “Sowing Seeds of Art, Guarding Innocent Dreams,” “Urban and Rural Joining Hands, Art Warming Young Hearts,” and “Perseverance Fulfills Dreams, Art Transforms Lives.” Through poetry recitals, instrumental ensembles, clapperboard dances, situational dramas, and choruses, the event comprehensively showcased the achievements of Hengyang’s “Art Companions” program for caring for left-behind children.

At the event, Liu Yuegao, Zhao Chengxin, and other leaders presented cultural and creative gifts and warm blessings to twelve representatives of left-behind children, encouraging them to soar higher and farther with the companionship of art.

Launched in 2020, Hengyang’s “Art Companions” Care Program pioneered an innovative model integrating government, families, schools, and society to build a four-level support system for left-behind children, enabling them to engage in diverse cultural and sports activities. To date, over 270 universities, civilized campuses, and model organizations in Hengyang have participated in paired assistance, carrying out more than 8,940 volunteer teaching sessions and raising over 36 million yuan in support funds. The program has helped fulfill more than 76,000 “micro-wishes” for left-behind children, solved over 1,000 practical problems for rural schools, and reached remote townships across the city, benefiting over 180 rural schools and more than 48,000 left-behind children.

Municipal leaders Wang Dongwen, Zhang Runhuai, Xie Hong, and veteran leader Xie Hongzhi, Director of the Municipal Working Committee for the Care of the Next Generation, were also present at the event.

Translator: Jing