Village paintings depict rural life in Shandong

The kids of Suhai village – which is administered by Dabu town in Yanggu county, in East China's Shandong province – were recently delighted by the unveiling of a number of murals that brought the village to life.

The delightful mural vividly depicts the rural life in full color. [Photo by Meng Ying for chinadaily.com.cn]

As a part of the Building a Dream Village initiative, the Dandelion Colorful Rural Summer Social Practice Team – from the Academy of Fine Arts at Shandong Normal University – was invited to create the artworks.

It used as its theme "Writing a New Era, Colorful New Countryside".

Members of the team spent seven days putting up with hot weather and rain to complete over 30 murals. They integrated the styles of Chinese painting and comics into the designs, after visiting the village and consulting with village cadres to understand the village's layout and own particular style.

The paintings showcased the village's agricultural culture, rural vitalization and the practices of the new era civilization.

The initiative aimed to foster children's sense of participation and involvement in the life of the village. The project allowed them to learn basic painting skills and color matching during their summer vacation, while contributing to the village's cultural revitalization.

The wall paintings are widely said to not only add color to the countryside but also bring different groups closer together – promoting the development of the village with a childlike heart and building a dream for the future of rural vitalization. (Edited by Jin Yongxue)