Creativity, cultural exchanges advance rural lives in Jiangxi

Lichuan, a county located in eastern Jiangxi province, has been dubbed a hometown for oil paintings with over 400 Chinese oil painters from there generating an annual value of over 360 million yuan ($53.78 million) by selling their own work.

There are currently over 3,000 people from Lichuan who are engaged in oil painting creation across the country, and in Lichuan, the oil painters, alongside 49 oil painting companies, are exporting their work to more than 20 countries and regions.

At an oil painting creation industrial park in Lichuan county, artist Yang Duoping said: "I now earn over 200,000 yuan each year and feel very satisfied with the balance of my career and family life."

Local painter Zhou Yan often brings her students to a "sea of flowers" near a village in Heyuan township to practice oil paintings. "Oil painting has enriched my life," she said. "I have an oil painting studio and an oil painting themed homestay in the county proper, and receive nearly 10,000 tourists for sketching and accommodation every year."

When groups of students from Jiangxi Vocational University of Foreign Studies visited the region during their summer social practice activity, they were awed by the painters' achievements and decided to aid them in their own ways.

Grouped into 20 teams set to visit 10 cities and counties in Jiangxi, they were looking to help local rural vitalization and opening-up with their professional abilities in foreign languages, foreign trade and international publicity.

To help promote global cultural exchanges, the International School of Engineering sent teams comprising Chinese and international students from Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and other countries to spend six days in Lichuan county, conducting over 10 activities.

The Shili village collective can earn over 1 million yuan from its integrated development.

Munyai Mitchell Miriam, a student from Mauritius, found that the transparent lithium feldspar in the porcelain pot workshop actually originated from her country.

"My hometown and China are connected by a porcelain pot," she said. "During my stay in Lichuan, I saw that the Chinese countryside is very different from what I imagined. It is not just quiet and beautiful, but also has its own industries and rhythm."

"It surprised me that a county could turn oil painting into such a large industry," she added. "As a student from Mauritius, I feel that Chinese rural vitalization is not about turning rural areas into cities, but about giving rural areas their own opportunities and confidence. I want to offer my help in my own way."

Shohel Bijoy Ahammed, from Bangladesh, said: "In Lichuan, the teacher of 'White Lion Dancing' taught us the steps. I used the Bangladeshi language to send videos to my family and friends, introducing this ancient skill."

"Opening up to the outside world allows young people from different countries to enter the Chinese countryside and bring Chinese stories to distant places," he added. "I hope that I am not just here to learn, but can also help bring Bangladesh and China closer with my skills."

E-commerce and the latest technologies are also being embraced. In Fengxin county, agricultural practice teams from the School of E-commerce went to Baizhangshan area to conduct five live broadcasts. The "agricultural product + homestay" event lasted for 56 minutes, winning multiple orders for farmers.

After learning that delicate hand-held painted fans made in an industrial park in Guangchang county are sold to Spanish-speaking countries such as Spain and Mexico, students from the Applied Oriental Studies College held a discussion with representatives from the enterprises on e-commerce and foreign language livestreaming, helping them to understand the business and markets involved in the Belt and Road Initiative via cross-border trade.

Students from Intelligent Manufacturing College used 3D modeling technology to digitally collect and model the Hongya Danjing ancient architectural complex, exploring a new path for the digital protection of cultural relics.

Students from the International School of Engineering also tried to promote Putonghua in villages to help farmers. Nematov Dustali, a student from Tajikistan, repeatedly reminded the elderly people in Shili village in standard Chinese not to transfer money to strangers through their mobile phones.

Multiple teams from JVUFS also conducted on-site research in Hukou county, carefully recording the difficulties and demands of farmers, keeping observation records of rural development and writing suggestions for their further progress.

The university's initiatives have helped boost local socioeconomic progress and will let more talent contribute to Chinese modernization.

Xiong Shun and He Xiaoxin contributed to this story.

hanjingyan@chinadaily.com.cn