Real Contentment, a 9-month artist exchange programme between Manchester and Nanjing has culminated in a huge range of artwork and writing from poets, illustrations, playwrights, and KS2 young people in both cities.

The project between both UNESCO Cities of Literature centres on the ecological and environmental themes of the work of award-winning Nanjing poet and essayist Han Dong. It has resulted in collaborative meetings, cross-disciplinary conversations and a Real Contentment exhibition, running between the 2nd and 17th June in Manchester Central Library.

You can find a selection of the work created throughout the project below.

The above artwork was created by Liane Scholes, a KS2 young person in Manchester who created this piece to the theme of the ‘Year of the Snake’. 

A new bilingual illustrated poetry collection and play will be released later this year. The programme is funded by the British Council’s International Collaboration Grants.