Farmers becoming artists amid rural Shandong's development

"Each of our farmers can earn more than 10,000 yuan per month when business is good," she told a media tour on July 21.

There are more than 30,000 farmer-painters like Wang in Qingzhou. Every year, they create 500,000 paintings with total revenues reaching 300 million yuan, thanks to the local government efforts to extend the industrial chain of farmer paintings and combine it with tourism.

A farmer-painter with a medium skill level or above can earn an additional 20,000 yuan annually, the local government said.

"What we are portraying are the most common activities in our everyday lives－stories happening nearby, harvest scenes and places where we live and work," said 74-year-old Ma Jiqing, a locally prominent painter who has been involved in the arts for more than 60 years.

Ma is a heritage successor of the Qingzhou farmer-artists. His work has become an essential part of his family life, persuading fellow villagers to learn.

The local government has been making great efforts to encourage the development of farmer-painters in a bid to boost tourism sectors and rural revitalization, said Chen Tongzhou, head of the Qingzhou publicity department.

By 2023, Qingzhou is expected to have more than 100 painting studios, 100 rural cooperatives and 100 online companies selling farmers' paintings, Chen added.