Art gives new life to village

Ceramics provide framework for future growth

Long afflicted with gripping poverty, Qianhe village in Central China's Henan province was once deserted as residents moved out. But ceramic arts lit the hamlet up.

Arts and crafts, including colorful enamel paintings of door gods and wall art, using thousands of ceramic bowls to depict the cosmos, have given the village's old residences a facelift and a new lease of life.

The once empty site in Luoling county now attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to its exhibition hall of ceramic arts. This turnaround is due to one artist's inspiration. Four years ago, senior ceramic artist Guo Aihe, 51, came to the village as it is located in the core area of the origins of Chinese ceramics.

About 62 kilometers away from the Yangshao Ruins, renowned for its painted pottery, Qianhe village is also not too distant from two of five famous ancient kilns.

Guo decided to revitalize the village's ceramic arts by using a total of 9,999 large pottery vats.

Flowerpots, guardrails, garbage cans, benches, booths, signposts and trails were all decorated with ceramics in the village.

The shabby cave dwellings and crooked wheat straw piles that seem useless and burdensome in the eyes of the villagers were Guo's inspiration. The ceramic artist believes that the countryside itself can provide inspiration for art.