Art and culture help revitalize China's countryside villages

Across China's countryside, art and culture are emerging as powerful forces for all-around rural revitalization, opening up fresh development opportunities.

In Xiashan village, once a small fishing village in Qiangjiao town, Ninghai county, east China's Zhejiang Province, visitors come not only for the sea but also for an artistic touch.

Ma Zhen, owner of a local cafe, performs original folk songs for visitors in Xiashan village, Qiangjiao town, Ninghai county, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Inside a cafe themed on folk songs, owner Ma Zhen, strums his guitar and performs an original folk song as customers enjoy their coffee. A short walk away, at a fishing culture experience shop, owner You Tingting leads visitors in crafting traditional fish lanterns.

The transformation began in 2019, when Ninghai county started exploring an "art-driven rural revitalization" approach. Xiashan village seized the opportunity, drawing on its coastal scenery to design an art-themed tourism route. Ma, who had been working outside the village, decided to return home to start his own venture.

He converted an unused shipping container by the sea into a village cafe with a clear identity: sea views, folk music, and local stories. He visited elderly fishermen and inheritors of intangible cultural heritage in the village to hear their tales and incorporate them into his original songs. He also set up a small stage to perform folk songs for visitors. The cafe soon became a local hub, and residential music enthusiasts started participating.

The fish lanterns produced at You's shop have become popular cultural souvenirs among visitors and helped boost residents’ incomes.

To better support young entrepreneurs returning to their hometowns, town and village officials have introduced policies for rural owners, providing funding and start-up guidance, said Hu Qing, Party secretary of Qiangjiao town.

Xiashan village's "art plus cultural tourism" entrepreneurial cluster has taken shape, attracting more than 300,000 tourists a year and generating over 60 million yuan (about $8.7 million) in cultural tourism revenue.

In Shiwoleijia village, Changbu town, Anyi county, east China's Jiangxi Province, the Nanzhou Art Museum, which opened in September 2023, has become an unlikely landmark.

Students take part in a study tour at the Nanzhou Art Museum in Shiwoleijia village, Anyi county, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Anyi County Committee)

Hu Haijin, the museum's curator, had previously developed a passion for collecting art alongside a decades-long career in business. In 2020, the Changbu town government approached Hu with a proposal to build a rural art museum to strengthen the village’s cultural identity as part of all-around rural revitalization efforts.

"Unlike an urban gallery, a rural museum must be rooted in local culture. It has to give villagers a sense of identity and pride," he said. Reflecting that philosophy, the collection features calligraphy by Jiangxi-born candidates who finished at the top of the national-level recruitment exam for officials in ancient China, alongside works by prominent modern-era local artists. Since its opening, the museum has attracted nearly 20,000 tourists.

Artists native to the village, including Lei Ziren, now a professor at the China Academy of Art, have delivered lectures and exhibitions, encouraging young painters to create works in the village. Lei Jinsheng, a villager born in the 1990s, opened a teahouse that offers themed gatherings around calligraphy and painting. A hanfu experience venue and other youth-oriented programs have also been introduced.

"The rural art museum is a stage for showcasing cultural heritage and a bridge linking past and future, city and countryside, art and everyday life," said Chen Li, head of Changbu town. Looking ahead, the town plans to build on the museum's success by connecting it with surrounding resources, partnering with fine arts universities nationwide to develop a painting base and educational tour center, and integrating public aesthetics education more deeply into rural schooling.

Last year, oil painter Ni Jun made his first visit to Luohang village, Danzao town, Nanhai district, Foshan city, south China's Guangdong Province, joining a group of artists working across painting, music, and theater for an arts festival.

What impressed Ni most, beyond the festival itself, were the bamboo-weaving products crafted by artists. The Luohang fair in the village has a history of more than 300 years, rooted in its reputation for bamboo basket weaving.

In 2022, when the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and other departments issued guidelines on using cultural industries to boost rural revitalization, Nanhai district was designated one of the first national pilot areas. The district and Danzao town moved quickly, investing in infrastructure improvements and environmental upgrades at the Luohang fair.

Photo shows visitors at the Luohang art fair in Luohang village, Danzao town, Nanhai district, Foshan city, south China's Guangdong Province. (Photo/Lu Haiqiang)

Since October 2024, the Luohang art fair has been operating regularly, with weekend markets, monthly themed events, and an annual grand fair.

The Luohang art fair was included in the 2024 national list of model cases for rural cultural development. It is a vivid example of Guangdong's "high-quality development project for Guangdong counties, towns and villages," said Fang Huagang, a member of the Standing Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Nanhai District Committee.

"Collaboration between villagers and artists has unlocked the village's vitality and given fresh momentum to all-around rural revitalization," Fang added.