If a picture is worth a thousand words, an image of a crane is visual poetry. Cranes are beautiful and elegant large wading birds found on every continent except South America and Antarctica. East Asia has the largest number of crane species in the world, with nine of the 15 species. Cranes also have special cultural significance in East Asia, especially in China, South Korea and Japan. However, cranes continue to face increasing threats, including climate change, habitat degradation and loss, human disturbance, and are at risk of population decline or even extinction in the wild.
In October 2019, the International Crane Foundation and its partners designated 2020 as the “Year of Cranes in East Asia.” This recognition called on governments, research institutions, protected areas, non-governmental organizations, businesses and local communities to promote the conservation of cranes and their habitats. In response, China also proposed 2020 as the “Year of the Cranes in China.”
In celebration of cranes in China, our staff organized the “Cranes – Messenger of Peace International Children’s Art Contest” for elementary and middle school students. The contest encouraged children and the public to learn more about cranes and wetlands conservation in China.
In November 2020, we received more than 300 entries and selected 100 for public voting through our Chinese social media accounts, WeChat and Weibo. The artwork entries were divided into two groups for elementary and middle school students. After more than 9,400 votes, one first prize, five second prizes and seven third prizes were selected for each group. We are excited to share with you the creative entries. View our albums of the middle school and elementary school entries.
Story submitted by China Program Coordinator Hou Bo. Click here to learn more about our East Asia Programs.