Brightening walls, muralists spread joy

Liu has noticed that the mental outlook of villagers varies from area to area, and it might be the closed cultural environment in which some live that limits their inner world. As progress on rural vitalization continues across the country, with the aim of building a new, more beautiful and more satisfying socialist countryside, Liu is looking at a longer-term plan.

"It is difficult to upgrade peoples' inner lives quickly, so in addition, we'd like to attract attention and tourists to the villages," Liu said. "If that works, villagers might rethink their aesthetic appreciation."

Liu posts short videos of his murals on Douyin, the Chinese version of video-sharing app TikTok. So far, his account has over 293,000 followers, and his posts have received nearly 3 million likes.

Liu said that he and Xu have received invitations to paint murals from government departments, companies and individuals in Tianjin, Chongqing, the provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou and Jiangsu, and the Xinjiang Uygur and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions.

"Liu is an enthusiastic young dream chaser I greatly empathize with," said Xiao Han, an official from the Tongliang Industrial Development Area in Chongqing.

Xiao has asked the pair to help transform the walls at some factories in the area.

"Development in the new era is not about filling one's stomach, but about enriching one's mind by strengthening humanism," Xiao said. "The murals help create a cultural and artistic atmosphere and provide a bit of cultural richness for employees."

Liu said he has turned down several high-paid offers and that the pair plans to continue with their part-entrepreneurship, part-public welfare approach to painting.