Artists revive crumbling village into tourist resort

The biggest problem facing rural areas is the lack of schools, hospitals and other infrastructure, he said; the imbalance of infrastructure is the main reason for population loss in rural areas, Zhao said.

But many people living in towns still want to come back to villages on the weekend to relax, he said, meaning that an art community could be a good destination.

Over the past five years, Zhao has worked with the local government to revive the shabby village through clearing trash, dredging rivers, constructing roads, building water supply networks and power grids, and transferring old, dilapidated buildings into art studios.