-- The 1,200-year-old village of Gejia has now become a popular tourist attraction that can receive more than 30,000 tourists each year thanks to the work of Cong's team.

-- The art transformation has also brought some unexpected changes to the village.

-- "China has made important contributions to the world in poverty alleviation, and now it is working hard to make more people rich in spirit."

By Xinhua writers Xuan Liqi, Qiu Lihua and Wu Shuaishuai

HANGZHOU, Oct. 6  -- Cong Zhiqiang, an associate professor of the arts at Renmin University of China, was mistaken as a fraud by locals when he first came to Gejia Village in Ninghai County, east China's Zhejiang Province in 2019.

"The villagers thought we were Ponzi schemers when they learned we planned to renovate the village with art," Cong said. The 1,200-year-old village has now become a popular tourist attraction that can receive more than 30,000 tourists each year thanks to the work of Cong's team.

A villager and foreigners make a local handicraft at Gejia Village of Ninghai County, east China's Zhejiang Province, July 26, 2020. (Xinhua)

"ART VILLAGE"

"There was nothing special about our village before Cong came," said Ge Haifeng, Party secretary of Gejia Village. "Our villagers always felt something was missing in their daily lives, although we earned enough money to make a living."

As an experienced "village designer," Cong has visited countless villages across the country and undertaken many rural design projects. Being aware that relying solely on artists is not enough to complete such a renovation project, he persuaded local officials to motivate villagers to join in.

Cong and his team started by collecting ideas from local villagers, and instructed them to redesign their own homes.