Pandas in the snow and ice are seen in this piece by artist and initiator of the Panda Art Development Fund, Liu Zhong.[Photo provided to Chinaculture.org]

A launch ceremony for the Panda Art Development Fund of China Literature and Art Foundation was held in Beijing on Sunday.

Xiang Yunju, vice-chairman of the China Literature and Art Critics Association, vice-chairman and secretary-general of the China Literature and Art Foundation, presented Huang Zhipeng, chairman of Xiamen Ziming Group Co Ltd with a certificate for donating 1 million yuan to the charity fund.

The Panda Art Development Fund was initiated by Liu Zhong, who is well-known for depicting pandas through Chinese painting and is a member of the board of directors of the China Artists Association. It engages with people from all walks of life who care about giant pandas, love art and are enthusiastic about public welfare.

Guests attending the launch ceremony for the Panda Art Development Fund of the China Literature and Art Foundation pose for a photo in Beijing, on March 21, 2021.[Photo provided to Chinaculture.org]

The fund will win support and donations from groups, enterprises and individuals at home and abroad who love and care about Chinese culture and art; support domestic and international young children's creation, exchange and learning through art about ecological and environmental protection; support poor and disabled children's learning, and exchange and development in art; commend and reward artists’outstanding contributions to the development of panda art; organize volunteers to protect the giant panda through art; organize international exchanges; edit books and periodicals related to panda culture and organize exhibitions on panda culture and relevant consulting services.

Liu Zhong said the fund serves as a project to improve the aesthetic education of Chinese teenagers, help disadvantaged groups get a better life and promote art exchanges between China and other countries.

Liu Zhong signs first day covers with postmarks of the Panda Art Development Fund, on March 21, 2021 in Beijing. On the same day, the launch ceremony for the Panda Art Development Fund postmark and its theme mailbox also was held in Beijing.[Photo provided to Chinaculture.org]

An upcoming event supported by the fund is the “I Love Giant Panda” International Children's Postcard Painting Competition. Hosted by China Post, the event will open on Friday and calls for worldwide submissions of art work.

Having won abundant awards and held exhibitions at home and abroad, Liu Zhong recently completed his long volume on pandas in ice and snow sports. The 202.2-meter-long painting illustrates 109 events of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. The "athletes" and "audience" in the work are all pandas, totaling more than 5,000.

"Through these lovely pandas, I hope to popularize the knowledge of ice and snow sports, and hope that more people will pay attention to and participate in ice and snow sports," Liu said.