A magical & mystical day trip

A tiny village in Zhejiang province is making its mark on the nation even as artists leave their mark on the village. As news has spread of the whimsical 3-D graffiti in Luoyuan, in Jinhua county, a trickle of tourists who want to see them seems gradually to be turning into a torrent, appropriate given Luoyuan's location, straddling a river of the same name. From afar the art comes across as a colorful tapestry wrapped in the dark green, undulating mountains in which the village rests.

Thanks to the magic of 3-D, those enjoying the paintings that local artists have created in front of the village shrine can be swept into the works as if on some magic carpet, all the while being swallowed up by a rich array of colors that can hold complete sway over the senses. Among the depictions are ones of a mischievous chimp holding a hat, a baby elephant loitering around a lotus pond in the dark and the cartoon character Garfield resting on a wall.