STORY: Rural Art Style: "rural art gallery" without roof
SHOOTING TIME: file
DATELINE: Dec. 16, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:03
LOCATION: NANCHANG, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. STANDUP 1 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LYU JIANQIN, Resident of Shiziyuan Village, Fuliang County
3. various of Shiziyuan Village
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LYU JIANQIN, Resident of Shiziyuan Village, Fuliang County
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
6. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): XU RONGBIN, Entrepreneur
7. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
8. SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): XU RONGBIN, Entrepreneur
9. SOUNDBITE 7 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
10. SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): XU RONGBIN, Entrepreneur
11. STANDUP 2 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
12.SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): XU RONGBIN, Entrepreneur

STORYLINE:

STANDUP 1 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
"Modern art, rural tea plantations. Seemingly unrelated. But they come together in a fascinating way here in Shiziyuan Village of Jiangxi. The artwork behind me is called "Lamp of the Earth" and has become a popular tourist attraction. There are a total of 27 contemporary art pieces like this in the village, created by artists from (both) home and abroad. In Shiziyuan, art is not a distant concept; it's right beside the villagers."

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LYU JIANQIN, Resident of Shiziyuan Village, Fuliang County
"I am a villager here, also a volunteer. This artwork is called 'Lamp of the Earth.' Ma Yansong, the designer of the lamp, chose the highest place in our village to display it. Many tourists come here specifically for this lamp."

Before 2021, Lyu Jianqin had never imagined that she would ever engage with art in her lifetime.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LYU JIANQIN, Resident of Shiziyuan Village, Fuliang County
"My husband and I used to be tea farmers, growing tea, picking tea and selling tea. In the morning, we used to sell tea products at the market in Yaoli. But now since the boom of tourism, we've set up a stall near home, and I grow some crops myself and sell them here."

A cultural tourism project, "Art in Fuliang," was introduced in 2021. 

34 famed artists from five countries were invited to create art pieces in Shiziyuan. The once obscure mountain village has since been turned into a "rural art gallery."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
"What are you doing here?"

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): XU RONGBIN, Entrepreneur
"I'm making a cup."

SOUNDBITE 5 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
"For drinking tea?"

SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): XU RONGBIN, Entrepreneur
"Yeah. Tourists from all over the country would come here to experience pottery making."

SOUNDBITE 7 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
"Can I have a try?"

SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): XU RONGBIN, Entrepreneur
"Yeah sure."

Shiziyuan is located in Jingdezhen, a city known as China's "porcelain capital." With the arrival of more tourists, many villagers who once migrated elsewhere have returned to start businesses.

STANDUP 2 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
"Shiziyuan has now become a 4A-level rural tourist attraction, which has boosted the income of villagers. Art is infusing this part of the countryside with increased vitality and opportunities."

SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): XU RONGBIN, Entrepreneur
"All aspects of life have become increasingly better. Our hometown now attracts tourists from all over the country. Whether it's for making ceramics or producing tea, the future looks very promising for our village."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nanchang, China.
(XHTV)