A long-awaited reunion for former teacher, Liu Jinzhu, and one of her old students in Quzhou. [Photo/qz828.com]

The Branch School of China Calligraphy and Painting Correspondence University in west Zhejiang province, which was established in 1985, has cultivated a great many artists who carry forward Quzhou's Southern Confucianism heritage and the "Virtuous Quzhou" spirit.

Former teachers and students of the school came back to Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, for a reunion May 30.

"In the 1980s, transport and information were not as developed as they are now," said Yang Liuqing, who came from Yushan, Jiangxi province, to study painting in Quzhou. "Once, I took a train from Jiangxi province to Quzhou to attend a lecture, but when I got there, I learned that the class had been canceled because of a temporary change.

"I still remember vividly when my teacher, Liu Jinzhu, gave me a face-to-face lesson at the school."

Jiang Ningxin, a witness to the history of the school, said, "Here, I see the inheritance of the Southern Confucianism heritage and Virtuous Quzhou spirit. A group of enthusiastic students, under the guidance of dedicated teachers, pursued their love of art in difficult conditions."

"In those days, the teachers taught regardless of personal gain or loss, and many students are now calligraphy and painting masters."