Art serves as a welcome approach to help renovate village in SW China’s Chongqing

First-time visitors to Dongsheng village, located in the Liuyin township of southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, will discover that it is a place brimming with all kinds of art. The blooming chrysanthemum flowers at the roadside, along with the tidy white-walled and gray-roofed houses, among other whimsical sights, present an idyllic picture of the countryside for those venturing to the locality.

Photo shows houses in the Liuyin township of southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality. (File photo)

Back in 2018, all one could see in Dongsheng were rows of dilapidated houses, as well as children and elderly people in the village who had been left behind by rural migrant workers finding work in the cities.

That year, Wang Tianxiang, executive deputy director of the art and rural research institute at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing, was invited to tailor a revitalization plan for Dongsheng village. Before kicking off the renovation project, Wang led a team consisting of teachers and students from his school to pay a visit to Dongsheng village. After walking around the locality, they bought some antique items from the villagers and then placed the items outside of the village’s houses to make the buildings look more beautiful.

After learning about the history, features and geographical conditions of the village, the design team started working on developing a renovation plan for the village based on its original layout while making full use of the resources that the village already had. Thanks to the project, new public areas were built one after another in the rural community. An empty room owned by a villager was turned into a stage where art performances are now able to be held and a reading room was built in the courtyard of another villager.

Kids play in a public area that was recently beautified in Dongsheng village located in the Liuyin township of southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality. (File photo)

A courtyard where 37 families live was renovated to become an area where tourists can experience the local farming culture, enjoy reception and accommodation services, and read books in solitude. Besides, there is also a play corner for children to attract families. While providing a space for tourists to appreciate the beauty of the village and the rural lifestyle, the newly established facilities have not affected the lifestyle of the local residents.

“Our village looks like a big park, and our houses have to be improved to add to the beauty of the village,” said Yu Yan, a local resident. In 2020, Yu made the journey back home, having later built a courtyard flower garden to adorn her two-storey house in her spare time. Nowadays, the young woman has quit her job in downtown Chongqing and returned home permanently to work as a tour guide for study tour groups visiting the village. In 2021, Dongsheng village received more than 20,000 tourists.

“A beautiful village attracts people and provides a broad space for young people to come back home to contribute their efforts to rural development,” said He Bo, secretary of the Party committee of Liuyin township, who added that the villagers in Dongsheng have cultivated an awareness of protecting public areas in the village.