Artists see the big picture in small village

Artist Hu Yang (4th left), who comes to the village after spending seven in Canada, receives visitors.

HEFEI: Hu Yang, a native of Hefei, returned after seven years of study in Canada and opened an art house --- rented for 15 years from a local farmer -- in Cuigang Artist Village last year.

Sitting by a wooden desk outside the house, his satisfaction was evident: "The scenery here is beautiful. The ecology and excellent views help us to seek eternal beauty through art.

"It's different from the city. It is inspirational. Even during the hectic house renovation, I've done dozens of paintings. Back in Canada, I could not paint one in a year," he said while sipping his tea and appreciating blooming spring flowers dancing in the wind outside the fence.

Located in Luyang District, Cuigang Artist Village has become a magnet for artists since opening in November 2013. It now has 24 artists embarking on their quest to "seek eternal beauty".

With forest coverage of nearly 90 percent, Cuigang enjoys the scenic benefits of an outstanding location. With a river meandering gracefully and mountains looming large from afar, Cuigang has 1,380 farmers divided into 560 households. Only 15 kilometers from a thriving city center, it offers a natural breakaway from the hustle and bustle of Hefei.

Besides Hu, 52 others have signed contracts with farmers. So far, 16 houses have undergone extensive renovation. The Eight-House Photography Club, the Horizon Gallery and Wooden Courtyard Inn are all ready for business.

As the fame of the artist "paradise" spreads, visitors flood in, paying some 200,000 visits to the once-isolated village located in Sanshigang Township.

Xie Ze helped to mastermind the artist village. Founder of Hefei Champs Gallery, Xie was deeply moved by its scenery of "fresh grass and fallen flowers" on his maiden trip to Sanshigang one day in June 2012, and decided to set up an art workshop here. After going through a house search, lease talks, renovation, everything was finally ready, and Xie's "Tile Studio" became the first in the village. Subsequently, art lovers poured in. This made Luyang think of creating a cultural and creative village.

According to Luyang District Magistrate Huang Weidong, the benefit for villagers is obvious: rent income --- some 7,000 yuan ($1,100) a year for a house, government subsidies for low rents and the energy brought by former city dwellers making a new life in the country.

Zheng Aimei, chief of Sanshigang Township, said that although both are artist villages, Cuigang is different from Beijing's Songzhuang in that the latter is a village solely inhabited by artists, while in the former, artists coexist with the villagers.

With the success of Cuigang, Luyang has ambitions to build itself into a recreation center. Plans include building a music town and an international painters' village near Cuigang and developing the local Three Kingdoms (220 AD-280 AD) Cultural Relics Park, as well as boosting water sports. The big picture is looking good.