Qijiang farmers' journey into creative fields

Rural residents are adding to their income by giving visitors printmaking experience and souvenirs during the tourist season, Tan Yingzi and Deng Rui report in Chongqing.

Qijiang Farmers' Printmaking, an intangible cultural heritage of Chongqing, has been spiritually and financially enriching the lives of thousands of residents in the city's Qijiang district for decades. Now, through collaborative efforts among the art's inheritors, artists and the local government, it is empowering rural revitalization.

Qijiang Farmers' Printmaking originated from woodblock New Year prints and murals during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties and thrived in the 1980s. Since 1985, the local printmaking artworks have been exhibited in more than 40 countries and regions, including the United Kingdom, Canada, France and Germany. Over 60 foreign art groups and individuals have visited local art studios, according to a local official.

"Back in the 1980s, my folks would never have imagined a poor rural girl like me would later find a decent job and turn into an artist," says 59-year-old Li Chengzhi, a national first-grade artist and a representative inheritor of the cultural heritage.