Art boosts rural development in Ninghai

Lujiakeng village, Ninghai county, Ningbo. [Photo/Ningbo Daily]

The rural revitalization through art program, which has been implemented in Ninghai county, Ningbo, is helping to bolster the development of tourism in an undeveloped village.

Luojiakeng village in Ninghai county was relatively underdeveloped due to its remote location until the program was launched in Ninghai in 2019.

In 2020, as part of the program, Wu Lixing, associate professor of the art and design department at Nankai University, spent a month teaching residents how to renovate the village.

Pan Xiaoyan, an artist in Ninghai, also joined the program. Pan moved her studio to Luojiangkeng, where she built many tourist attractions with the locals, such as a field of year-round flower seas and minsus (Chinese-style breakfast and bed).

Pan also taught unemployed women in the village to make cultural and creative products using flowers.

Due to the flower sea, Luojiangkeng has become popular and attracts many businesses such as cafes, camping sites and restaurants, putting more money in the hands of villagers.

Lin Jingjing's cafe in the flower sea is always crowded. It is an ideal place for visitors to enjoy some wonderful scenery while eating delicious food.

"Due to the 'flower economy', residents' lives are getting better," said Luo Chunmao, an official in the village.