Nanyang hosts art show for Xiao Nian Festival

On Jan 28, Wancheng district, Nanyang held an art show in Wancheng Painters' Village to showcase the area's unique local folk culture.

Jan 28 marks this year's "Xiao Nian", or "Minor Chinese New Year", the lead up to the Spring Festival.

A large audience gathered around to participate in the event, which consisted of a variety of cultural activities such as writing Spring Festival couplets and admiring famous paintings. The opera and dance show won a big round of applause and left a deep impression on the audience.

Wancheng Painters' Village was co-founded by Zheng Songshan, an art teacher at Nanyang Normal University and first-rate national artist, and Zhang Jishan, a nationally famous painter known for his abandoned farmyard paintings from 2015. The village's buildings were all built using traditional grey bricks with tile roofs. A variety of eye-catching oil paintings were placed on outer walls and unique sculptures were carefully positioned.

Over 200 artists have moved in and established some internationally renowned studios for ink wash painting, canvases, calligraphy, prints, and sculptures. The painters' village has become a key Nanyang education center and was selected as a popular destination for rural tourism in Henan province.