Yan the artist concurs. "These people love life as much as everybody else, and paintings by people like 'Sister Corn' are the best testament," argues Yan.
They aspire to a better life. "For them to achieve common prosperity, to borrow a popular term, all they need is a little push and nudge in the right direction, for example, via art,"Yan adds. "To me, common prosperity is as much about gains in the material sense as in the spiritual, and throughout China, tens of thousands of villages like Dujing would completely change if more art is introduced."
For now, Zhejiang seems to have taken the lead. Currently, the "rural revitalization through art" program covers 86 villages all over the province, which is expected to expand in the near future.
"Don't be too surprised if artworks by a 'Sister Cabbage' or a 'Brother Pumpkin' appear in your local art galleries,"Yan says. "For these farmers, their life is art and now art has become part of their life."
