Green China

China Daily sends green message with cartoon show

By Fu Jing (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-12-10 16:50

Six Chinese and Iranian college students won top prizes Thursday for their thought-provoking and skillful cartoons on the unprecedented environmental challenges facing Earth.

China Daily sends green message with cartoon show

Qu Yingpu, China Daily's deputy editor-in-chief (left), Zhang Shigang, UNEP China representative (right) and first prize winner Wang Zhe pose for photos at a ceremony for the 4th University Cartoon Competition on Environment Protection at China Daily's hall in Beijing December 10, 2009. [chinadaily.com.cn]

They were chosen from more than 3,000 candidates from 11 countries, including China and Iran, whose entries have been received since June 5th, World Environmental Day. Some of the winners' projects are exhibited at China Daily's hall to send a clear message to the negotiators in Copenhagen.

The competition has turned out to be a resounding success, with support from UNEP, the World Wildlife Fund, EU-China Biodiversity Program, China Environmental Protection Foundation and China Journalistic Caricature Society.

"College students are one of society's most active and influential groups, especially on this front," says China Daily's deputy editor-in-chief Qu Yingpu at today's awards ceremony. "So it is crucial to employ a variety of methods to ensure their awareness and enable them to pass it on."

Chinese cartoonist Li Binsheng paints a piece of cartoon works with contest winners at a ceremony for the 4th University Cartoon Competition on Environment Protection at China Daily's hall in Beijing December 10, 2009. [chinadaily.com.cn]

As global climate change accelerates, a consensus has emerged that people around the world must establish environmental protection measures, promote issue awareness and take steps to cope with global warming's impacts.

"To this end, China Daily, as the country's national English-language newspaper, is stepping up to make a contribution beyond reporting major environmental news," he said.

In 2006, China Daily teamed up with domestic and foreign agencies and organizations to stage the global Environmental Protection Comics and Illustration Competition for College Students.

Organizing staff, prize winners and guests pose for a group photo at a ceremony for the 4th University Cartoon Competition on Environment Protection at China Daily's hall in Beijing December 10, 2009. [chinadaily.com.cn]

"The event was geared toward facilitating environmental awareness through a medium popular with the country's young adults," said Zhang Shigang, UNEP China representative. "And it's the right time for young Chinese to deliver a strong message to the UN Copenhagen climate change conference which is expected to reach a deal."

John MacKinnon, biodiversity expert of EU-China Biodiversity Program (ECBP) said, The "angry or frustrated feeling in the cartoon is a powerful way to get the message across."