Painter who likes to make a scene

Sitting on a scaffolding platform, Liu Zhicheng gives the final touches to a painting of lotus flowers and cranes. With brushes and paints he makes the two cranes look vivid — flapping their wings and ready to catch a fish — on the wall of a building in Yongsheng county, Lijiang city, Southwest China's Yunnan province.

In addition to lotus flowers, cranes and pine trees — visual elements local villagers are familiar with — Liu, a 27-year-old muralist, also borrows cultural highlights from guochao, or the China chic trend, which is known for fancy designs using different elements from traditional culture. He paints Ne Zha from the namesake Chinese animated film, pandas and fairies in ancient costumes.

"I have a deep interest in rural China and hope to do my part in bringing some modern street decorations to villages," Liu says.

Last year, he began a two-year project of painting 100 walls in Yongsheng where he was born. So far, he has completed more than 30 walls.

His artworks also attract curious children who crane their necks to see him paint.

"People love the vibrant colors and funny comics," Liu says, adding that some children even created paintings of their own to show them.

"If our work can sow seeds of deep appreciation in children's hearts and open up new opportunities for their future careers, it would be wonderful," he adds.

Liu has recorded his creative process and posted the short videos on short-video platform Douyin. Named Liu Xiaobei, his online account has attracted more than 560,000 followers and garnered over 5 million likes.

His artworks have added color to the countryside and are attracting tourists, also through the viral short videos.

Earlier, Liu studied wall painting for about six years.

"Wall paintings are more eye-catching for the public in larger spaces and can easily prompt interactions with observers compared to those displayed in art galleries," he says.

Growing up in the countryside, Liu knows that many villages having mottled walls along streets and houses are patched with advertisements that can shroud local features.

In 2020, Liu and his partner began painting walls free of charge.

Their first work included painting the walls of an ancient town in Chongqing. In about three months, they finished seven wall paintings.

It usually takes Liu about two to three days to complete a simple wall painting and more than a week for an elaborate design.

"I will focus more on Chinese cultural elements in my wall paintings and decorate more walls in villages to draw visitors and help the locals increase their income through tourism," says Liu. "It's my honor and pleasure to have the chance to pretty up the surroundings with my art."