Rural China turns its hand to artistic field

Art became part of the campaign in the 2000s. Under government sponsorship and efforts from individual artists, art festivals became an iconic activity in rural Japan to attract tourists.

Fram Kitagawa, one of the initiators and organizers of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale in Niigata prefecture and the Setouchi Triennale at the Seto Inland Sea, two well-known art festivals in rural Japan, thinks art in this context refers to "discovering, learning, communication and cooperation".

The goal of his art campaign is to encourage artists from different places to discover the locale, to learn from and communicate with local people, and achieve cooperation among artists, government and local residents.

"When I meet artists who come to Echigo-Tsumari for the first time, I will spend up to half an hour and familiarize them with the abandoned farmland, increasing number of vacant houses and a stagnated textile industry here, instead of just saying 'the vegetables here taste good'." Kitagawa wrote in his book, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale Concept Book.

Successfully held seven times since June 2000, the "Echigo-Tsumari" model, under which art plays the key role in bringing vitality to rural areas caught the attention of neighboring countries and regions in Asia.

In 2019, Xing reached a preliminary deal to cooperate with the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, inviting artists to the village of Shishe to experience rural China for the first time.

"Things were put aside because of COVID-19, and I still hope more artists can visit Shishe when the epidemic is over," Xing said.