Farmers' paintings lift Jiangxi village out of poverty

A village in Central China has lifted its residents out of poverty by developing an industry around farmers' paintings and tourism.

Luo Xiaoqing, a painter from Tianbei village in Wan'an county, Jiangxi province, was the first to suggest the idea. "I used to be a house painter, but sometimes I drew birds, flowers and mountains if customers wanted me to," he said.

Over the years, he attended painting lessons and honed his skills. Eventually he grew tired of working away from home, and decided to go back to his village and sell his paintings for a living.

His idea was supported by a local official, who helped Luo set up a workshop and an art gallery. "I produce paintings and organize exhibitions, which attract visitors and buyers," Luo said. 

Seeing the potential of farmers' paintings, village officials began to encourage others to follow suit and introduced policies to support them.

With help from the county government, the village organized training courses for farmers, and sponsored exhibitions and fairs.

The village also subsidized the construction of two-story houses where villagers can live as well as sell their paintings and agricultural produce to tourists. The villagers pay 80,000 yuan ($12,000) toward the construction costs and the county government provides a subsidy of 40,000 yuan.

Many of the houses have been painted with colorful patterns to attract visitors. Rooted in traditional folk art, works feature paper-cutting and embroidery, and involve techniques applied in lacquer painting, wall painting and traditional New Year's pictures.

In 2014, the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association named Wan'an the home of Chinese farmer painting.

Thanks to the measures, the number of visitors to the village and Wan'an increased by 21.50 percent to 985,300 in the first six months of this year, contributing 855 million yuan, up by 22.30 percent year-on-year.

The county government said it plans to develop the village into a scenic spot this year.

Cheng Si contributed to this story.