China Peasant Painting Village in Jinshan County

The China Peasant Painting Village is an art colony located in Jinshan county on the outskirts of Shanghai, about two hours drive from the city centre. Set in verdant environments and modelled on a typical farming community complete with streams and ponds, vegetable patches, orchards, and traditional farming equipment, its main purpose is to showcase peasant paintings by farmers living in the surrounding farmlands and beyond. 

Between sowing and harvesting, farmers do have time on their hands. What better past-time for the artistically inclined than to pick up a brush and share the beauty of pastoral life with the urbanites outside. Scenes of daily life, fruit harvesting, festivals, farm animals and other rural subjects are depicted with simplicity of execution and vibrant colours in marked contrast to the ink and wash style of classical Chinese painting. The medium of choice is gouache (or poster colour) on paper though other media like oil and acrylic are gaining ground.

At this art village, the farmer-artists or their representatives occupy the clusters of cottage-like buildings which serve as studios cum galleries. Works are displayed up to the rafters on walls, racks or spread out on tables. Others are stored in in bins and cupboards to be shown to the serious buyer. Artists are rarely seen at work there as they prefer working from home, perhaps to be closer to their muse. 

A large building on the grounds houses a museum curating works of established artists or emerging ones. Exhibits include outstanding pieces from other farming communities all over China.

Note: Photos of paintings in the museum collection are shown here without digital effects to respect their artistic integrity and are credited as captioned, otherwise copyright rests with their respective artists.

Curved sign with two sample paintings at the entrance to the art village.

Farm style cottages serve as studio-galleries, each with cobble stone front patio, an information panel and trash bin. A swing bench provides sweet relief for tired the art lover.

Eye-catching art pieces displayed at the entrance tempt the passersby.

Vegetable patches cover the back yards.

A simple shelter from the elements, a quiet spot for a break from the day’s chores.

Stream with bridges and decks in a lush green setting.

Traditional foot-operated pump draws water from the stream to feed the irrigation channels of the farmed plots.

Ducks preening on the edge of a pond.

Waterside unit with boat for a quick row over for grub or paint and paper.

The museum features a typical farmer’s kitchen with painted murals and wall mounted paintings.

“Herb Collecting Girl” by Cao Xiuwen, a self-portrait by the iconic painter when she was a youthful “barefoot doctor” and displayed next to an interpretation of Picasso.

“Dozing” by Zhang Xinying, another renowned artist, features a lady dozing off with her grandchild on her lap, and shown next to a second homage to Picasso.

This visitor, transfixed by a painting, is permanently rooted to the spot.

Rich pickings of persimmons from the fruit laden trees.

A rural town dressed in festive buntings and banners, boldly rendered in flat colours reminiscent of paper-cutting art.

Harvest time with bountiful orchard, the village, green fields and the city in the distance.

A wall mural features a farmer picking gourds with chicken in the foreground.