Tourists take photos with the creative mural "Two Fierce Cyclists". Photo courtesy of Wuhe Township Cultural Station
The villagers in Palian dance Dai Ga Guang Ga Yang dance. Photo courtesy of Wuhe Township Cultural Station
Aerial view of Palian Village in Wuhe Township. Photo courtesy of Wuhe Township Cultural Station
At the foot of Gaoligong Mountain, by the Longchuan River. Starting from Tengchong City, Yunnan Province, accompanied by the light rain, we bypassed several mountain bends, and several "bamboo brushes" as high as 10 meters appeared in the field of vision-Palian Village in Wuhe Township arrived.
"I don't know about other provinces, but these' writing brushes' are definitely the largest in Yunnan!" Stopping at the entrance of the village, Zhang Zhanju, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Wuhe Township, enthusiastically explained, "These are actually telephone poles, which have been painted and turned into' big brushes'."
The Party Committee of Wuhe Township, based on resource endowment, takes the construction of beautiful countryside as the starting point, speeds up the development of ecological service industry, and makes the green, healthy and beautiful living environment a starting point for displaying the beautiful image of Wuhe. 20 19 Wuhe Township chose Palian, a pilot village of comprehensive rural reform in Yunnan Province, to promote rural tourism and activate economic development by grafting art. Under the baptism of art, Palian Village became a well-known "network celebrity punching place", attracting countless tourists to indulge in it.
"I can use art to change the countryside, which makes me feel very fulfilled."
Walking along the village road paved with volcanic rocks, white walls, blue bricks and tiles are filed out, and Huizhou folk houses are lined up. Cultural symbols of China can be seen everywhere in this pure Dai village, which is the biggest feature of Palian.
"It is only 6 kilometers away from the nearest expressway exit and 30 kilometers away from Tengchong City, but the previous tourism development was not satisfactory." From 2065438 to June 2009, Zhang Zhanju was sent to Wuhe Township to focus on rural tourism. After many field trips, she found that Palian's location and folk custom advantages are very obvious, but she lacks a "key business card" to be a tourist name.
Where does the most suitable "tourist business card" come from? Zhang Zhanju led the cadres at the village level to ask around and look for feasible solutions. Soon, the graffiti art festival held in Dehong lianghe county, which is close to Tengchong, attracted Zhang Zhanju's attention.
In the mind of painter Wang Xinjun, although the countryside in Yunnan is a sacred art pure land, what is lacking is only art education. "Even few people read and talk about literature and art". So, I came to lianghe county for graffiti art festival on 20 17 and 20 18 for two years in a row, and invited hundreds of graffiti artists to create here and carry out public welfare education. With the empowerment of art, the monotonous roadway began to become colorful, attracting tourists to visit and browse constantly.
"Since there are successful cases first, can Palian also' transplant' this model?" After obtaining the consent of the township party Committee, Zhang Zhanju entrusted Chen Hejun, the stationmaster of Palian Cultural Station, to get in touch and sent him invitations to visit Palian several times.
Finally, at the end of August last year, Wang Xinjun and his party came to Palen. After two days in and out of the village, they found that although Palian has a unique Dai culture, it is also a village lacking bright spots. "If I can rejuvenate the old mountain village through art, it will make me feel very fulfilled." Xin Wang Jun said that he designed the renovation plan a few days after he left Paley and returned home.
"The transformation of traditional Dai villages needs the participation of perceptual artists. I believe that Mr. Wang Jun's plan is a good blend of modern style and Dai tradition. " Zhang Zhanju and others are very satisfied with Wang Xinjun's design scheme. With the coordination of the township party committee and the government, more than 2 million yuan of reconstruction funds will be put in place soon. Three months later, Wang Xinjun led the team to settle in Palian.
A few steps to the west from the entrance of the village, there is an old black and white TV set embedded in the loess brick wall. The words "Your Art Gallery" are clearly displayed on the screen, which is the starting point of artistic transformation in Palian Village.
It turns out that Wang Xinjun learned in the previous investigation that the villagers in Palian actually don't lack opportunities to get in touch with art. Every year, a large number of art lovers come to the village to sketch. In order to make Palian truly an art village and let art lovers and their works find a "resting place" in the village, Wang Jun decided to build an art museum with the villagers, that is, "Your Art Museum".
"The art gallery is not ours, nor theirs, but your, which is more cordial." As Wang Xinjun hoped, the villagers gradually became interested in artistic creation in their daily life with artists. I don't know when it started. Every evening, in the unfinished art gallery, wall builders, farmers and young children pick up brushes and begin to learn painting.
Don't underestimate these "novice" painters, who hold a solo exhibition in your art gallery for the first time. No, in Palen at the end of August, an exhibition called "A PE Teacher" is being staged here. This PE teacher is either a well-known painter or a villager Yang in Palian village.
Because there are many vacant rooms at home, Jun's team has been living in Yang's house since they settled in Palen. After hearing this, the PE teacher of Wuhe Ethnic Middle School became fascinated with the writing brush. From cobblestone painting to blue tiles, from pastoral landscape painting to Dai folk customs, Yang created 29 works in just three months.
"Everyone told me what to draw, and taught me specific composition methods. I knew that I like to eat fish, and artists even gave me a stage name with fishing tools." Yang is very satisfied with this new identity.
In order to make better use of art to promote the development of Palian, Wang Xinjun recently began to make village murals into schoolbags and clothes and sell them online. "The proceeds from the sale of these souvenirs will eventually be returned to Palian. After all, living a wonderful life is more important than desperately making money. " Wang Jun said with a smile.
"Look at these treasures or useful. I am very happy. "
How do the villagers react to the artistic transformation of this century-old village?
"I heard that the village is going to develop tourism, and everyone is very happy! Take the construction of an art gallery as an example. On the first day of construction, the whole village took the initiative to bring tools to the site to help clean up and tidy up. It's really enough energy! " Zhang Zhanju said, "Look, this is the Wenju Stone Museum, which was donated by our villagers spontaneously."
Palian village is built on the back of Panyunpo, so the terrain in the village fluctuates greatly and the road design is complicated. Following in the footsteps of Zhang Zhanju, we walked through several corners in the Palian maze. Looking up, we found the Wenju Stone Museum, which is also the home of the donor Yang Wenju.
Walking into the museum, there are display cabinets on all sides, and thousands of strange stones are displayed on them, which is very spectacular. "This piece in front of you is called the Love Stone, with Du Dong, next to the mermaid ..." Yang Wenju enthusiastically introduced the collection in the museum, and her voice was so powerful that the 89-year-old man didn't recognize it.
Yang Wenju attached great importance to the inheritance and development of Dai culture during his tenure as vice president of Yunnan University for Nationalities and head of the Cultural Section of Tengchong Culture and Education Bureau. Therefore, after 1992 retired, he did not choose to stay in the city for the elderly, but moved back to Palen with his family.
I built a reading room at my own expense, opened a Chinese training class, and asked experts to teach planting techniques ... Since I returned to China for 28 years, Yang Wenju has basically not been idle for a day, and my mind is full of big events and small feelings in the village.
By chance, Yang Wenju discovered that Palian is rich in stone resources, and there are countless unique and spiritual stones. "When I meet a beautiful stone, I will carry it home. These are all treasures left by nature! " After so many years, collecting strange stones has become the only hobby of the elderly. As long as he has time, he will appreciate his collection.
At the end of last year, after Palian Village started the plan of "Art Changing the Country", Yang Wenju came up with the idea of donating money to build the Kistler Museum.
"Don't worry, I won't charge you if I know that the project funds are not much. Just build the Kistler Museum in my home, so you don't have to toss." Until now, Zhang Zhanju still remembers what the old man said when he first came to Yang Wenju.
In fact, Yang Wenju's physical condition was not very good at that time, and everyone was worried that noisy construction would affect the rest of the elderly. "Just do it, leave me alone. I'm glad to see that these treasures are still useful! " Yang Wenju's statement touched everyone present.
At the beginning of this year, with the joint efforts of * * *, the Wenju Stone Museum officially opened to welcome guests, and received tens of thousands of people in half a year.
As the tourism industry in Palian has just started, the creation of scenic spots is facing many difficulties, such as the lag of infrastructure construction and the compression of villagers' activity space. To this end, the Wuhe Township Party Committee set up a villagers' group in Palian, forming a new governance pattern of "branch to group, self-management to households, consultation to people".
Yang Wenju was very supportive when he learned that the villagers' group in Parian was established. He took the initiative to sign up and served as a propagandist of village rules and regulations, a mediator of neighborhood disputes and other positions. Not only that, he also persuaded his two children to join the villagers' group and serve Palen together. "No matter how I use it, I am willing to contribute to the construction of my hometown!" Yang Wenju said.
"Opening a shop at home is happier than living in the city."
Put on "art clothes" and eat "tourist meals". Is the Dai family in Palian Village really rich?
A beggar gang, named Yang Xiu beggar, is a native of Palen. Due to family poverty, after graduating from junior high school, Agai went to work in the county. After marriage, in order to take care of two children, Agai stopped going out and stayed at home to farm. But I am away from home all the year round, and my income is not much, and my life is very tight. "At that time, it would take months to buy a dress from 60 yuan."
Seeing more and more tourists, in order to drive the villagers to increase their income, the Palian villagers' group has set up a number of public booths in various parts of the village, and the villagers can run catering business here for a nominal fee. "Beggar food stall" is one of them.
Relying on his self-taught skills, Agai made his own pineapple and mango into special drinks, and also made Dai delicacies such as soft rice, pigskin and pizza for tourists to choose from. By running food stalls, Agai can earn more than 2,000 yuan a month. "Opening a shop at home can not only take care of the elderly and children, but also receive art education, which is happier than living in the city!" Ah Gai said with a smile.
Once, in the mind of Bai Xingxiu, a 64-year-old villager in Palian, if the elderly wanted to subsidize their families, they could only take their pomegranate to the roadside for sale. "It is far from saying that spending a day on the roadside can earn dozens at most."
"As a village in A Dai, Palian must carry forward the signboard with national characteristics." Zhang Zhanju understood that in order to really develop rural tourism, it is also necessary to tap the value of the traditional folk customs of the Dai family.
Brocade skill is one of the traditional handicrafts of Dai people. In recent years, with the development of industrial technology, the brocade made of one shuttle and one thread is gradually replaced by mechanized textile products, and this intangible cultural heritage is in serious danger of being lost. "If Palian can restore the brocade, on the one hand, it can inherit the Dai tradition, on the other hand, it can also increase the selling point of tourism." Zhang Zhanju couldn't help thinking.
"But the whole Palen has not tapestry for more than 50 years." At first, Bai Xingxiu was not optimistic about reviving tapestry skills. "To tell you the truth, like our old sisters who have done brocade, because they are old, they really forget the details."
Since you can't find a' master' in the local area, let's go further. Many things happen. Last June+10, Palian Village got in touch with A Dai Village in Longling County. The villagers came to Longling to visit and study in batches, and finally successfully passed the brocade skills to Palian.
Including "Your Art Museum" and Wenjushi Museum, today's Palian has formed a characteristic scenic spot of "five museums linkage". "The next step we should consider is to combine rural tourism with the development of collective economy to help villagers continue to increase their income." Zhang Zhanju said.
In Dai language, Palian means "a stockade under the red rock". Today, the "happy light" from the art village illuminates the whole "Hongyan" and brings hope to Dai's family!