Longmen, a mountainous county with beautiful scenery, a blend of civilization and ancient culture, has become a good example of high quality living circle based on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to build up an artsy place. Blessed with green vacation, healthy hot spring, pastoral scenery and folk customs, the flourishing tourism opens a new window for the county development. According to statistics, the annual tourism revenue of Longmen reached 4.93 billion RMB in 2016, with a year-on-year growth of 34.3%.
Subordinated to Guangdong province, Longmen, a historical county lying in the core zone of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, is known as "an oasis on the Tropic of Cancer". As a mountainous county with hills accounted for more than 73% of the total area, and the forest coverage rate of 76.6%, Longmen enjoys the names of "the most beautiful cultural and ecological tourism county" and "hometown of Chinese folk culture and art", and is one of the best areas in the Pearl River Delta in terms of ecological environment. All these culture evolutions have been significantly marked down by the farmer painting.
Longmen's farmer paintings were originated from the late Qing Dynasty. In 1988, Longmen was nominated as "the hometown of Chinese modern folk painting" by the nation. Since then, they have witnessed the development of Longmen.
The paintings drawn by farmers have become beautiful scenery that can be easily found in many cities of China. Farmer Paintings of Longmen show the positive attitude and kindness of its people. Most of them express the aesthetic taste of the grassroots in China, and reflect the concept of harmony between human and nature.
In this small county, there are more than 350 painters of farmer paintings, most of whom were born in the rural area, and they use their leisure time to paint. Their paintings put together various folk art elements such as Chinese paper-cut, embroidery, and murals etc.. Using folk custom and Chinese classical culture as inspiration, the paintings are full of countryside style and have the unique charm of art. Wandering in the village, you can feel the culture through the beautiful farmer paintings.
"Farmer paintings make the countryside poetic and modern at the same time," said an official of Longmen County Government.
Thanks to its superior environmental ecology, Longmen has kept tapping the potential of its folk culture and extending the connotation of farmer paintings.
In the Crosswaters Ecolodge and SPA in Nankun Mountain, the reporter saw the building technique that combines Hakka traditional cob wall with bamboo, and enjoyed the harmony of nature and culture. According to the manager, designed for "global localization", the resort has become a new landmark of Longmen ecology tourism, and has won the certificate of "Global Landscape Design Award".
There are many other similar ecological attractions in Longmen. As a significant member in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Longmen is strengthening its ecological advantages to be an example of growing the economy via eco-culture resource.
Today, Longmen has gained reputation and recognition globally through its farmer paintings. They have become a way of communication that links Chinese traditional culture and the world together. These paintings have entered the United States, Canada, Japan, Sweden, Australia, Fiji and other countries. Many farmer painters were also invited to hold cultural exchange exhibitions overseas.
SOURCE: Longmen County Government
