文/ 沈聽雨

“曖曖遠(yuǎn)人村，依依墟里煙。狗吠深巷中，雞鳴桑樹顛。”歷經(jīng)數(shù)千年的發(fā)展和沉淀，作為中華民族厚重歷史的載體，中國的鄉(xiāng)村是家園，更是回望鄉(xiāng)愁的歸處。

一草一木，牽動(dòng)人心；故土故人，最難忘懷。

古今中外，藝術(shù)與鄉(xiāng)村似乎有著天然密切的聯(lián)系。讓鄉(xiāng)村煥發(fā)勃勃生機(jī)，藝術(shù)大有可為。藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)建，正為鄉(xiāng)村發(fā)展帶來更多可能。

當(dāng)代藝術(shù)家渠巖曾如此定義藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)建：“今天，藝術(shù)家開始走進(jìn)鄉(xiāng)村，不是去尋找田園牧歌，也不是去寄托無盡的鄉(xiāng)愁，而是通過行動(dòng)去鏈接傳統(tǒng)的文脈，通過藝術(shù)促進(jìn)鄉(xiāng)村的復(fù)蘇，使鄉(xiāng)村在現(xiàn)代社會(huì)中復(fù)活?！?/p>

這十年，浙江各地持續(xù)深入挖掘當(dāng)?shù)匚幕Y源，引導(dǎo)社會(huì)文藝力量和藝術(shù)家參與鄉(xiāng)村建設(shè)，以“美”為媒、以“藝”為介，為藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)村、鄉(xiāng)村藝術(shù)貢獻(xiàn)力量，讓新時(shí)代鄉(xiāng)村也能“望得見山、看得見水、記得住鄉(xiāng)愁”。

2022年，浙江省文聯(lián)更是明確要推進(jìn)“藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)建”工作，發(fā)動(dòng)全省文學(xué)藝術(shù)界用文藝方式激活鄉(xiāng)村資源。如今， “藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)建”正成為浙江探索藝術(shù)共建模式、助力鄉(xiāng)村振興的重要特色品牌。

“一村一品”，讓鄉(xiāng)村更美

悠久的歷史長河中，不同的物候稟賦與文脈變遷，孕育出村落民居不同的風(fēng)貌與樣式。

在寧波市寧?？h葛家村，中國人民大學(xué)藝術(shù)學(xué)院副教授叢志強(qiáng)與15名來自法國等國的外國藝術(shù)師生交流寧?！八囆g(shù)振興鄉(xiāng)村”模式，并體驗(yàn)竹編等傳統(tǒng)手工技藝。徐銘懌/攝Cong Zhiqiang (first on the left), an associate professor from the School of Art from Renmin University of China, pays a visit to Gejia village in Ninghai county, Ningbo city with international students, who try their hand on bamboo weaving and other traditional crafts. Photo by Xu Mingyi.

在寧波市寧?？h前童鎮(zhèn)大鄭村的大樟樹下,中國人民大學(xué)藝術(shù)學(xué)院“藝鄉(xiāng)建”團(tuán)隊(duì)的陳炯教授帶領(lǐng)三名研究生，和村民一起創(chuàng)作藝術(shù)作品《共生》。徐銘懌/攝The “Yi Xiang Jian” (“Art Activates the Construction of Beautiful Village”) team led by Chen Jiong, a professor from the School of Art from Renmin University of China,creates an art installation titled “Coexistence” with villagers in front of a camphor tree in Dazheng village, Ninghai county, Ningbo city. Photo by Xu Mingyi.

這意味著，藝術(shù)介入鄉(xiāng)村建設(shè)后進(jìn)行的設(shè)計(jì)與改造，要靈活變通、一村一品，避免陷入生搬硬套、千村一面的困境。

浙江的鄉(xiāng)村，在歷史發(fā)展中培育和積淀了俊逸的吳越文化神韻和靈秀的江南水鄉(xiāng)風(fēng)格，處處散發(fā)著江南韻味。

步入位于溫州市鹿城區(qū)的樟里村，映入眼簾的是一幅幅壁畫。在這里，幾乎每座房子的墻上、窗上、門上都有江南水鄉(xiāng)的手繪畫，小橋流水、楊柳依依，如詩如畫、美輪美奐。以水鄉(xiāng)景色為主題的壁畫和村莊景色相互襯托，意蘊(yùn)深厚。

漫步于此，儼然就是人在畫中游，悠閑、愜意。

難以想象，幾年前，這里還是一個(gè)名不見經(jīng)傳的農(nóng)村，由于留守老人眾多，一些房屋長期無人居住，年久失修，破敗不堪。

村莊煥發(fā)生機(jī)的背后，是鹿城區(qū)文聯(lián)聯(lián)手相關(guān)部門，通過藝術(shù)“搭臺(tái)”，讓鄉(xiāng)村“雅”起來。

“我們通過‘涂鴉藝術(shù)’點(diǎn)亮了鄉(xiāng)村風(fēng)貌?！?樟里村有關(guān)負(fù)責(zé)人表示，結(jié)合村莊環(huán)境治理，同步推進(jìn)村容村貌美化、藝術(shù)化改造，樟里村引進(jìn)了80多位藝術(shù)家聚集于此，以村里的居民房作為天然畫布，通過涂鴉、墻繪、壁畫等形式，為村莊“化妝添彩”。

不僅如此，樟里村是浙南著名僑鄉(xiāng)，村里部分建筑為哥特式風(fēng)格，尤其是村內(nèi)的文化禮堂，已有一百多年的歷史。依托這一文化特色，藝術(shù)家們?cè)诟脑爝^程中，保持了原建筑風(fēng)格，又通過增設(shè)構(gòu)架、圍擋格柵、更新門窗等進(jìn)行建筑立面改造。

如今，整個(gè)村莊脫胎換骨，煥發(fā)新生，先后獲評(píng)全國文明村、省美麗鄉(xiāng)村精品示范村、省休閑旅游示范村等，成為遠(yuǎn)近聞名的鄉(xiāng)村游網(wǎng)紅打卡點(diǎn)。

同樣因畫而興的，還有嘉興市秀洲區(qū)的菱瓏灣。不同的是，這里的畫是農(nóng)民畫。

菱瓏灣位于嘉興市秀洲區(qū)油車港鎮(zhèn)銀杏天鵝湖與西千畝蕩之間的勝豐村，是一個(gè)典型的江南水鄉(xiāng)村落，境內(nèi)河湖密布、水網(wǎng)縱橫交錯(cuò)，處處可見小橋、流水、人家的魚米之鄉(xiāng)風(fēng)情。

省級(jí)非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)秀洲農(nóng)民畫，這里是重要發(fā)源地之一。菱瓏灣以秀洲農(nóng)民畫作為文化標(biāo)簽，搭配船、漁等水鄉(xiāng)特色文化貫穿村莊景觀節(jié)點(diǎn)，重現(xiàn)水鄉(xiāng)原生態(tài)的生活方式，打造了具有濃濃人情味的水上藝術(shù)村落。

在浙江，這樣的鄉(xiāng)村還有許多。走訪過程中，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)一個(gè)內(nèi)在規(guī)律：鄉(xiāng)村的文化根脈，正是鄉(xiāng)村振興的源頭活水。

因此，實(shí)施藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)建，讓藝術(shù)介入鄉(xiāng)村，并不是簡單的硬性植入，也不是外在的表演和教誨，而是因地制宜地誘發(fā)和培植鄉(xiāng)村內(nèi)在文化因子的發(fā)育和成長。

慈溪市文藝村長駐村輔導(dǎo)村戲曲團(tuán)隊(duì)排練。A resident opera singer (first on the left) instructs a village troupe in Cixi city,a county-level city in Ningbo city.

紹興駐村藝術(shù)家、諸暨市戲劇家協(xié)會(huì)主席卓秋萍為十里坪鄉(xiāng)村藝術(shù)團(tuán)排練西路亂彈（地方戲曲劇種之一）的原創(chuàng)小戲。趙芳/攝Zhuo Qiuping (second on the left), a resident artist and president of Zhuji City Theater Association, instructs a village troupe on opera singing in Shiliping village, Zhuji city, a county-level city in Shaoxing city. Photo by Zhao Fang.

只有在尊重鄉(xiāng)村傳統(tǒng)文脈和地域精神的基礎(chǔ)上融入當(dāng)代元素，這樣的鄉(xiāng)村美才能既被當(dāng)?shù)卮迕窠邮?，又彰顯時(shí)代特色，重塑鄉(xiāng)土文化的自覺自信。

“藝術(shù)家駐村”，為鄉(xiāng)村賦能

藝術(shù)搭臺(tái)，鄉(xiāng)村唱戲。藝術(shù)走進(jìn)鄉(xiāng)村，是對(duì)鄉(xiāng)村傳統(tǒng)美學(xué)的重新發(fā)現(xiàn)，更是對(duì)其社會(huì)價(jià)值的重新激活。

過去，藝術(shù)家下鄉(xiāng)曾一度飽受詬病。有種說法認(rèn)為，藝術(shù)家?guī)е鈦砭⒅髁x在鄉(xiāng)村居高臨下，打破鄉(xiāng)村寧靜的同時(shí)，并不能改變鄉(xiāng)村的困境。

經(jīng)過多年實(shí)踐，浙江已經(jīng)發(fā)展到了一個(gè)新的階段—藝術(shù)家嵌入了真實(shí)的鄉(xiāng)村生活，藝術(shù)機(jī)構(gòu)能和鄉(xiāng)村主題進(jìn)行深度融合。

浙江探索實(shí)施的“藝術(shù)家駐村模式”，就是圍繞百姓文化需求，鼓勵(lì)和支持藝術(shù)家、規(guī)劃設(shè)計(jì)師、高校專業(yè)人才、文藝志愿者等作為倡導(dǎo)人和帶頭人，以“藝術(shù)村長”等形式扎根鄉(xiāng)村，促進(jìn)鄉(xiāng)村文藝活起來、亮起來，把文藝種進(jìn)民眾心田，為鄉(xiāng)村繪制共富圖景。

今年5月，在湖州市“文藝村長”試點(diǎn)啟動(dòng)儀式暨受聘儀式上，湖州市作家協(xié)會(huì)副主席、長興縣作家協(xié)會(huì)主席田家村受聘成為小沉瀆村的“文藝村長”。他說：“今天，長興縣交給我一個(gè)村，叫小沉瀆村。小沉瀆村很久遠(yuǎn)，它有沉默不語的老街、古宅、古樹，有綿延流淌的人文故事；小沉瀆村很水鄉(xiāng)，它有橫塘、溇港、蘆葦、灘簧，充滿著江南的意韻。它讓我萌生了與它一起文藝的愿望……”

駐村后，田家村的第一項(xiàng)任務(wù)就是要協(xié)助小沉瀆村做好省級(jí)歷史文化村落保護(hù)利用重點(diǎn)村創(chuàng)建的有關(guān)工作。他認(rèn)真研究了小沉瀆村的《文化解碼轉(zhuǎn)化建議書》和規(guī)劃圖，并在村里進(jìn)行了實(shí)地調(diào)研，以實(shí)際行動(dòng)不斷引導(dǎo)村民通過日常融入、積極參與、文化自治等方式增強(qiáng)文化自覺。

“這次下村對(duì)我的觸動(dòng)很大。”田家村表示，以前，文聯(lián)主要為村民送歡樂，我們是鄉(xiāng)村振興的歌唱者、鼓掌者、旁觀者。今天，讓我們沉下去，成為鄉(xiāng)村振興建設(shè)的提升者和設(shè)計(jì)規(guī)劃者，將優(yōu)秀歷史文化解碼落地，這就是藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)建的主動(dòng)作為。

在浙江，全省各地的“文藝村長”，成為了促進(jìn)文藝資源下沉，打通文藝服務(wù)基層、服務(wù)鄉(xiāng)村“最后一公里”的主人翁。

在杭州蕭山，則探尋出了另一種方式。2021年下半年，浙江省攝影家協(xié)會(huì)聯(lián)合蕭山區(qū)文聯(lián)和攝協(xié)等部門，推出“生長著的鄉(xiāng)村”—蕭山美麗鄉(xiāng)村駐地?cái)z影項(xiàng)目，計(jì)劃用1年左右的時(shí)間，組織攝影家走進(jìn)蕭山20個(gè)美麗鄉(xiāng)村，面向土地、面向鄉(xiāng)村、面向生活，進(jìn)行長期的、深入研究的影像創(chuàng)作，讓藝術(shù)真正走進(jìn)鄉(xiāng)間。

蕭山區(qū)文聯(lián)主席黃勇芳說 ：“前期，我們根據(jù)產(chǎn)業(yè)、生態(tài)、人文等特點(diǎn)，從百余個(gè)蕭山美麗鄉(xiāng)村創(chuàng)建村中選出了20個(gè)。在跟攝影家交流的時(shí)候，還明確了進(jìn)村后必須拍一張村落的全景圖，以及整個(gè)村最有特色的自然景觀、人文景觀，還有村里的民間手藝人等，就是希望能深入挖掘鄉(xiāng)村文化基因，活態(tài)呈現(xiàn)獨(dú)特的鄉(xiāng)村面孔，留下影像檔案?！?/p>

蕭山區(qū)進(jìn)化鎮(zhèn)歡潭村，是“生長著的鄉(xiāng)村”—蕭山區(qū)美麗鄉(xiāng)村駐地?cái)z影項(xiàng)目的第一站。

今年4月28日，“生長著的歡潭”攝影作品展在蕭山歡潭古村開幕，展示了近30位省內(nèi)外優(yōu)秀攝影師通過駐村創(chuàng)作、田野調(diào)查等拍攝的600余幅攝影作品。

村里的老物件、村民們的早餐、村里的志愿者、村里每戶人家門前的樹等一組組與這個(gè)村莊有關(guān)的照片，植入到村莊“三面環(huán)山、一面向水、四水歸塘”的自然環(huán)境中進(jìn)行展陳，讓展覽和村民形成互動(dòng)，吸引了大批人前來觀看。

每個(gè)平凡的歡潭人都在某個(gè)瞬間參與創(chuàng)造了美麗鄉(xiāng)村影像變遷的非凡史詩。人們確信，久居鄉(xiāng)野，那些獨(dú)特的人文影像，會(huì)在某一刻聚集、凝練出一種與時(shí)俱進(jìn)的奮進(jìn)力量，喚醒人們對(duì)美好生活的向往。

如今，這些照片都在村中一座老屋內(nèi)陳列著。“經(jīng)常會(huì)有村民來這里轉(zhuǎn)一轉(zhuǎn)，當(dāng)看到自己的生活被記錄、被陳列，大家內(nèi)心都是充滿驚喜的。”歡潭村干部梅李棟說，不僅如此，這個(gè)項(xiàng)目還提高了村里人的美麗鄉(xiāng)村建設(shè)意識(shí)，同時(shí)也幫助村里進(jìn)一步打開了對(duì)外知名度。

這些都是浙江探索實(shí)施藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)建的過程中積極調(diào)動(dòng)和發(fā)揮藝術(shù)家的主觀能動(dòng)性，鼓勵(lì)藝術(shù)家入住鎮(zhèn)村、扎根基層，從而引導(dǎo)和帶動(dòng)更多村民進(jìn)行具有藝術(shù)審美的生動(dòng)實(shí)踐，也將助力藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)建工作走得更遠(yuǎn)。

本土人才，與鄉(xiāng)村共生

“藝術(shù)需要人民，人民需要藝術(shù)?！币恢币詠?，藝術(shù)就在我們每個(gè)人的生活中。

所謂藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)建，其實(shí)是一場藝術(shù)與鄉(xiāng)村的雙向奔赴。

有人說，鄉(xiāng)村的村民們不是不需要精神生活，而是過去很少有平臺(tái)，藝術(shù)的功能，就是為他們搭建平臺(tái)。當(dāng)藝術(shù)家們不斷入駐鄉(xiāng)村，當(dāng)各類文化活動(dòng)陸續(xù)被送進(jìn)鄉(xiāng)村，耳濡目染間，村民也慢慢從“旁觀者”成為“參與者”，最終變成“創(chuàng)造者”。

杭州市淳安縣梓桐鎮(zhèn)就從“送文化”到“種文化”，不斷擦亮?xí)嬎囆g(shù)成色，最終迎來了書畫的藝術(shù)蝶變。

這個(gè)小鎮(zhèn)通過常態(tài)化開展“百場文藝活動(dòng)進(jìn)禮堂”等活動(dòng)，為基層群眾送去文化大餐的同時(shí)，也在多渠道提升鄉(xiāng)村本土藝術(shù)家的創(chuàng)作水平。

在梓桐鎮(zhèn)主導(dǎo)的眾多文藝活動(dòng)中，我們總能找到當(dāng)?shù)卮迕竦纳碛?。在上海舉辦的《我們的日子—千島湖梓桐新農(nóng)民繪畫藝術(shù)展》上，一幅由村民創(chuàng)作的油畫作品《玉米》拍出了7500元的價(jià)格。德隱陶局開放時(shí)，在制坯、坯上作畫、上釉、煉制等各個(gè)環(huán)節(jié)都有當(dāng)?shù)卮迕竦膮⑴c。他們將在農(nóng)事中的細(xì)節(jié)和思考，用藝術(shù)的形式進(jìn)行表達(dá)，讓這些藝術(shù)作品鮮活起來。

如今，梓桐鎮(zhèn)的書畫隊(duì)伍有百余名農(nóng)民，經(jīng)?；钴S于縣級(jí)、市級(jí)書畫圈的有20余名，國家級(jí)、省級(jí)、市級(jí)美術(shù)家協(xié)會(huì)的成員有 10 余名。

“一畝田，一幅畫，坐在家中就掙錢”，成為近年來梓桐鎮(zhèn)農(nóng)民的真實(shí)寫照。

此外，寧波市寧海葛家村的“藝術(shù)家駐村行動(dòng)”、麗水市松陽縣的“百名藝術(shù)家入駐鄉(xiāng)村計(jì)劃”等“駐村服務(wù)模式”，也在積極探索“藝術(shù)家駐村”“教授團(tuán)隊(duì)駐村”“文創(chuàng)團(tuán)隊(duì)駐村”，推動(dòng)“外援式”建設(shè)向“內(nèi)生式”發(fā)展的轉(zhuǎn)變，培養(yǎng)出了一大批農(nóng)民藝術(shù)家。

“藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)建的最終落腳點(diǎn)還在于人。”省文聯(lián)相關(guān)負(fù)責(zé)人指出，在浙江高質(zhì)量發(fā)展建設(shè)共同富裕示范區(qū)的大背景下，藝術(shù)家駐村的最終目的，是要發(fā)揮村民的主體性，強(qiáng)化村民的參與度，著力打造一支生機(jī)勃發(fā)的鄉(xiāng)土人才“生力軍”，讓村民的所學(xué)為當(dāng)?shù)禺a(chǎn)業(yè)加持。

當(dāng)當(dāng)代藝術(shù)生動(dòng)回歸鄉(xiāng)村的日常生活，浙江推動(dòng)“藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)建”的解題路徑越來越清晰時(shí)，一個(gè)聯(lián)動(dòng)鄉(xiāng)村經(jīng)濟(jì)社會(huì)發(fā)展、生態(tài)文明建設(shè)的初步藍(lán)圖，也逐漸鋪展開來。據(jù)悉，到2025年年底，浙江預(yù)計(jì)打造50個(gè)“藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)建”省級(jí)典型案例，建成100個(gè)省級(jí)藝術(shù)特色示范村、1000個(gè)市級(jí)藝術(shù)特色示范村，搭建一批“藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)建”交流展示平臺(tái)，形成一批特色凸顯的“藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)建”品牌成果。

之江大地，正在持續(xù)奏響藝術(shù)鄉(xiāng)建的“共富曲”。

湖州市長興縣畫溪街道白阜村文藝村長陳雪梅在該村蠶桑博物館采風(fēng)，為該村創(chuàng)作蠶桑原創(chuàng)舞蹈采集素材。喬麗萍/攝Chen Xuemei, the Literary and Arts Head of Baifu village in Changxing county,Huzhou city, visits a local sericulture museum, collecting materials to choreograph a dance performance for the village. Photo by Qiao Liping.

Arts, Rural Revitalization and Common Prosperity

By Shen Tingyu

“文藝村長開課了”系列活動(dòng)在建德市大同鎮(zhèn)高橋村的文化禮堂里舉行。The “Village Literary and Arts Heads Deliver Lectures” activity is held in the cultural halls of Gaoqiao village, Datong township in Jiande city, a county-level city in Hangzhou city.

Throughout history and across the world, there seems to be a natural and close relationship between arts and countryside. There is so much that arts can do to rejuvenate villages and townships. In Zhejiang, the campaign to revitalize the rural areas through arts is bringing more possibilities for rural development.

Qu Yan, a contemporary artist, once defined the idea of developing rural areas through arts as such: “Today, artists begin to enter the countryside, not to look for pastoral songs, nor to express endless idyllic nostalgia, but to connect traditions through real actions, promoting the rejuvenation of the countryside through arts and reviving the countryside in a modern context.”

Over the past ten years, Zhejiang has continuously leveraged local cultural resources, guided artists to participate in the rural construction, so that the villages of the new era could serve as places both for artistic inspiration and economic development.

In 2022, the Zhejiang Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles (ZFLAC) has made it clear to further push through the “rural revival through arts” program, and activate the literary and artistic resources in the rural areas. Now, the program is fast becoming one of Zhejiang’s signature policy initiatives to boost rural development.

Different endowments and cultural developments have given birth to different customs and styles in different villages and townships, which necessitates flexible and customized designs and transformation of these places through arts.

In its long history, Zhejiang’s rural area has cultivated and accumulated the grace of Wuyue culture and the elegant style of(south of the Yangtze River) water towns, and the villages are full of Jiangnan charm.

Stepping into Zhangli village in Lucheng district, Wenzhou City, one is immediately drawn by a series of murals. Here, almost every house has hand paintings ofsceneries on the walls,windows and doors, complementing the village scenery itself.Taking a stroll in the village, one would feel as if they are living in a painting.

It is hard to imagine that, just a few years ago, the village was quite an obscure place. In fact, because of the large number of elderly people left behind as young villagers went to big cities for work, some houses were uninhabited for quite a long period of time, out of repair.

Behind the revitalization of the village are the Lucheng District Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the relevant departments. Through their efforts to “set the stage” via arts,Zhangli village has become “graceful” once again.

“We have lit up the countryside with ‘graffiti art’,” according to an official from Zhangli village. Together with the drive to clean up and better manage the village’s environment, the village’s artistic transformation will be promoted simultaneously. Thus far,Zhangli village has attracted more than 80 artists, who have taken the residential houses as natural canvases, and given the village a facelift through graffiti, wall paintings, murals and other artistic forms.

Moreover, Zhangli village is a well-known hometown to overseas Chinese in southern Zhejiang. Some buildings in the village are of the Gothic style, the village’s cultural auditorium in particular, which has a history of more than 100 years. Relying on this cultural feature, the artists maintained the original architectural style during the transformation process, and renovated building facades by adding frames and changing doors and windows.

At present, the whole village has been completed changed and regained vitality. It has won the titles of the National Civilized Village, the provincial Model Beautiful Village, and the provincial Leisure Tourism Village, among other honors. And it has become a must-visit place for tourists.

Linglongwan in Jiaxing city’s Xiuzhou district has prospered thanks to paintings as well. The difference with Zhangli village is that they are farmers’ paintings. Situated in Shengfeng village, the Linglongwan scenic spot is of typicalfeatures, crisscrossed with rivers and lakes, small bridges and waterside houses.

It is one of the important birthplaces of Xiuzhou Farmers’Painting, a provincial intangible cultural heritage. Born out of China’s folk painting traditions, it took roots in rural China in the 1950s and generally refers to works created by amateur artists who are farmersherdsmen orfishermen. In 2019, Xiuzhou was named a“Hometown of Chinese Folk Culture and Art”.

There are many such villages in Zhejiang. When we carry out the ”rural revival through arts” program and change the countryside through arts, it is not simply the rigid application of predetermined ideas, nor it is a performance or show and teaching the locals to do what you think is best. Rather, the entire program is an attempt to induce and cultivate the development and growth of the intrinsic cultural factors in the countryside according to local conditions.

Integrating rural areas with contemporary elements can only be successful and accepted by local residents only by respecting the traditional customs and spirit of the rural areas. Indeed,the introduction of arts into the countryside is a rediscovery of traditional rural aesthetics and a reboot of its social values.

In the past, artists were once criticized for going to the countryside. One argument pointed out that these artists went to the rural areas with their snobbery and elitism, destroying the idyllic life of the local residents without bringing any benefits to them.

After many years of practice, Zhejiang has stepped into a new stage — artists “embedded” into real rural life, and art institutions deeply integrated with rural themes.

For example, the “resident artists” model centers around the population’s cultural needs, encourages and supports artists,planners, designers, college professionals, arts volunteers and many others to take the initiative to “take root” in villages as their “arts heads”.

In May 2022, at the pilot start-up ceremony of “Village Literary and Arts Head” in Huzhou city, Tian Jiacun, vice chairman of Huzhou Writers Association, was hired to serve as the“Literary and Arts Head” of Xiaochendu village.

“The village has a long history. It has silent old streets, old houses, old trees, and flowing humanistic stories. It is such a characteristicvillage, full of thecharm that it simply lends me the desire to create arts with it,” Tian said.

After being stationed in the village, Tian carefully studied the cultural transformation planning for it, and carried outfield investigation to guide the villagers to enhance their cultural consciousness through daily participation and cultural initiatives.

“I’ve been quite touched by my residency here,” Tian said.Compared to the past when the Federation of Literary and Art Circles was largely the bystander, cheering up rural revitalization,it is now a participant, planning and improving the local development through the “rural revival through arts” initiative.

In Xiaoshan district, Hangzhou city, it is another model that is being explored. In the second half of 2021, together with the Xiaoshan District Federation of Literary and Art Circles as well as the local photographers association, the Zhejiang Provincial Photographers Association launched the “Growing Village” project.It aims to invite photographers to visit 20 villages in the district over the next year and conduct in-depth photography on rural life.

中國人民大學(xué)藝術(shù)學(xué)院副教授叢志強(qiáng)，正在指導(dǎo)寧波市寧?？h葛家村村民葉仙絨用“藝術(shù)”創(chuàng)業(yè)。徐銘懌/攝Cong Zhiqiang (second on the right), an associate professor from the School of Art from Renmin University of China, discusses with Ye Xianrong (fi rst on the right), a villager from Gejia village in Ninghai county, Ningbo city on how to start a business through arts. Photo by Xu Mingyi.

“We selected 20 villages out of over 100 in Xiaoshan according to their distinctive features,” said Huang Yongfang,chairperson of the Xiaoshan District Federation of Literary and Art Circles. “We also made it clear that visiting each village, the photographers must take a panoramic photofirst, apart from its natural and humanistic sceneries, as well as craftsmen, in the hope of presenting the most unique rural characteristics.”

The district’s Huantan village is among thefirst to kickstart the project. On April 28, 2022, some 600 photos taken by nearly 30 photographers from in and outside Zhejiang were showcased at the opening ceremony of the “Growing Huantan” Photo Exhibition.

Old items in the village, villagers’ breakfasts, volunteers in the village, trees in front of each household in the village … groups of photos on Huantan are shown in the natural setting of the village,which are surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces water on the fourth. Such an arrangement enabled intimate interaction between the exhibition and villagers, attracting many visitors.

These photographs are now displayed in an old house in the village. “Villagers would often come here for a stroll, and when they see their lives recorded and on display, everyone is pleasantly surprised,” Mei Lidong, a village official, said. Naturally, the project has made the village more famous.

It has been said that, it wasn’t that villagers and country folks did not need any spiritual life; it was just that they did not have enough platforms to enjoy such a life. And arts — the functions of arts — serve as such a platform. When an increasingly number of artists choose to settle in the countryside, when various kinds of cultural activities are sent to the countryside, the villagers gradually change their roles: from “bystanders” to “participant”, before eventually turning into “creators”.

Zitong township in Hangzhou’s Chun’an county is a case in point. In many a literary and artistic activity held there, local villagers have always taken an active part. An oil painting titled“Corn” by a female farmer from Zitong was auctioned for 7,500 yuan ($1,121) at a special exhibition held in Shanghai in 2020 featuring 61 pieces of works of the town’s farmers.

Nowadays, more than 100 Zitong farmers have taken up brushes to engage in calligraphy and painting. Of them, more than 20 people are active members in the county-level and citylevel calligraphy and painting circles, and over 10 are members of national, provincial and city artist associations. “A piece of painting, a plot of land, and money earned sitting at home.” This is how Zitong residents see their life in recent years.

著名畫家馬百齊入駐海寧市丁橋鎮(zhèn)新倉村梁家墩。Ma Baiqi, a well-known painter, becomes a resident artist in Xincang village,Dingqiao township of Haining city.

In addition, the “resident artist campaign” in Gejia village of Ningbo city, the “100 Artists Enter the Village Plan” in Songyang county of Lishui City and many other projects are actively exploring the models of “resident artist”, “resident professor”and “resident cultural creation team”. All of them have one goal in common: to transform the past model of helping rural revitalization through “external assistance” to the present model of inducing “endogenous” development. The large number of farm artists that have emerged and are emerging are the best testament to the success of the changes.

“At the end of the day, it is all about the people,” as an official from the ZFLAC pointed out. In the context of Zhejiang’s highquality development and its pursuit for common prosperity, the goal of inviting artists to the rural areas is to enable the villagers to take the initiative in their future development.

It is reported that by the end of 2025, Zhejiang is expected to develop 50 model villages at the provincial level for the “rural revival through arts” program, and build 1,000 “arts demonstration villages” at the city level.