Village a picturesque offering for students

HEFEI - Despite his early arrival in the morning, Deng Wei, a freshman majoring in art, was surprised to find the river banks already crowded with students.

Holding their palettes and brushes, they were trying to re-create the vision in front of them - unique historic buildings and an idyllic landscape. "The picturesque scenery is perfect for us to draw," Deng said, who will stay in Hongcun village in East China's Anhui province for 10 days.

Deng is among 400,000 students who rush to Yixian county which administers Hongcun each year, an ideal spot for plein air painting.