When driving into Hongjiang village located in Libo county of Guizhou province, dozens of farmhouses with exquisite wall printings come into view. It is hard to imagine that the village faced serious labor problems a few years ago.

Hongjiang village welcomed its first road to connect outside the village in 2016. The village is home to people of the Bouyei ethnic group with most villagers living on farming in the past.

"The main problem for the village is the shortage of labor," said Ma Lihua, head of Hongjiang village. "Young people go to big cities to earn money and leave children and the elderly behind."

Ma found that there were rich ethnic cultural resources to be explored in the village. She contacted the artists' village in Songzhuang, Beijing and invited more than 300 artists to visit Hongjiang. So far, 52 of them have decided to stay and create more works of art in the village.

Yin Kun, an artist from Sichuan province specializing in oil painting and sculpture, has been living in Songzhuang for more than 20 years. He fell in love with the old farmhouses and natural scenery of Hongjiang village after his first visit and decided to live here with his wife and daughter.

Villagers rented their old spare rooms to artists to provide them with an artistic atmosphere and a comfortable environment.

The arrival of artists from outside Guizhou and even from abroad exposed the artistic potential of the mountainous village. In March this year, a sketching team consisting of college teachers and students plans to visit and record the beautiful village.

Hongjiang village, located in Libo county of Guizhou province, attracts a lot of artists from home and abroad with its rich ethnic culture and natural scenery. [Photo/qnz.com.cn]

In addition to taking advantage of art, the village has also developed an agricultural industry through planting mushrooms and other crops to boost rural income. Recently, eight households are offering accommodation and catering services to visitors.

Li Huwu, general manager of an agricultural company, has invested in improving the artist village. He has transferred 170 mu (11.33 hectares) of land for ecological farming and vegetable cultivating.

Known as "a green gem of the earth", Libo county is a World Natural Heritage Site with fantastic Karst landforms and an International Biosphere Reserve. The National 5A Scenic Spot Libo Zhangjiang Scenic Area also attracts a large number of visitors each year.