Art empowers rural revitalization

A view of Kongcun village in Liyang town, Ninghai county, Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/Ningbo Daily]

Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province has been leveraging art to bolster rural vitalization as part of the city's broader push to achieve common prosperity.

For example, Chen Qingjun, a professor of Donghua University, has been providing assistance to the development of cultural and tourism facilities related to Confucian culture in Kongcun village from Liyang town, Ninghai county. The village is known as the residence of descendants of Confucius.

This development has since turned the small village with only 173 households into a popular tourism site.

Chengyang village in Ningbo's Yinzhou district has also taken on a new look following the commencement of a design campaign initiated last July by Cong Zhiqiang, an associate art professor at Renmin University of China in Beijing.

The group led by Cong has instilled a sense of cultural creativity among the local villagers, empowering them to spruce up their surroundings using art.

There are currently 79 villages from Ningbo that are using art to bolster rural vitalization. Some have become popular tourist destinations.

In addition, the city has established a large number of cultural facilities in its rural areas, including 2,237 rural cultural halls. Cultural services are now available in all villages with a population of over 500 people.

In October, the Central Conservatory of Music launched its first rural music classroom in the nation on Tiantong Old Street in Ningbo's Yinzhou district.

A view of Chengyang village in Yinzhou district, Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/Ningbo Daily]