Natural talent

Another four works are murals, painted on the walls of village houses.

Song says villagers often gathered for hours to watch artists working, and "as they saw vibrant colors blooming to light up the formerly gray, dull walls, they came to understand what we were doing, and asked the artists to paint on their houses too".

"One's pursuit of beauty is natural, and sometimes urgent," he adds.

"Additionally, we hope these works can help increase Jingyang's exposure to the outside, and inspire more people to find career opportunities in the course of rural vitalization."

Speaking about what he imagines an ideal village to be, Zhang says it would be "a small community that is clean, peaceful, harmonious and integrated into nature".