Farmers learn to paint their way out of poverty

More than 400 farmers in a town in Central China are speeding their way to wealth, not with farm implements but with the pens and brushes they've used to create countless paintings sold across Europe and Asia.

Zhan Qiuming was one of those unconventional farmers living in Xiaohe town, a one-hour drive from Liuyang city in Hunan province. The 53-year-old man, the most well-known farmer-painter in town, began picking up painting in 2017.

"I just wanted to draw some pictures while I'd do my farm work attracted by the misty mountains, and also when I see the creek in our village glistening," he said.

It took Zhan more than three years to improve his painting skills, which progressed from drawing lines and colors, to copying landscape paintings and eventually to directly drawing landscapes and fields in his hometown.

The secret of painting lies in pen-holding postures, techniques and strength, he said.

Previously, the farmer lived on farming and part-time jobs to feed his parents who are in their 90s and his son in primary school. But he seized an opportunity that has changed his family forever.

In 2017, using government poverty-alleviation funds, Xiaohe invited painters and college art students to teach farmers how to paint, and the pictures were to be underwritten by merchants.

Zhan, whose hands had used hoes for decades, decided to learn how to paint.

"The first time I picked up a paintbrush, it felt so hard to control as if it was even heavier than a hoe," he said. "I didn't even know how to stop when I should stop the paintbrush, and had no idea how to add more strength when I needed to do so."

After one month, Zhan had only learned to draw lines. When the training concluded, he kept learning through online courses while continuing to practice. Five years later, one of his landscapes can sell for nearly 700 yuan ($102).

"I spend more than 20 days per month painting in the studio, earning almost 4,000 yuan," he said.

At present, there have been 460 farmer-painters and six studios. Their paintings have been sold in more than 10 countries, including Singapore and Spain, with sales revenue hitting 20 million yuan, which has helped 42 registered poor households get out of poverty.

In addition, a few years ago, Xiaohe, home to more than 15,000 residents, had the highest proportion of poor people in Liuyang city. However, recently the town has attracted more than 300,000 tourists a year by developing farmer paintings and rural tourism.

"I've never left my hometown in my life, and I never thought my paintings would go abroad instead of me," said Zhan, who usually begins conceiving another painting after finishing one.

"I want to paint a picture called The Creek on the Clouds, which will sketch the contours of the mountains and creeks in our village, and also portray the happy days we have now," he said.

Zhu Youfang contributed to the story.