Waitongwu village located in Xihu District, Hangzhou, is always said as beautiful as a painting. It is stylish and unique because numerous artists have taken part in its rural reconstruction over the years, which also made it one of the national 3A level tourist attraction in China.

Li Ping, a villager who has lived here for 24 years says, “Our village is becoming more and more beautiful. Artists move in one after another, from whom we can learn a lot in class.” There are many paintings in Li’s home created by herself, and she never thought that she could draw a picture before, but now the dream comes true.

It is in November, 2009, that several teachers from China Academy of Art were invited to take part in the rural reconstruction in Waitongwu village. After 3-year reconstruction, changes have been made from lanes to houses, and even trees in the yard are fancy creations. At the same time, well-known artists such as Wang Hong, Huang Jun, set up their studios here focusing on oil paintings, traditional Chinese paintings, sculptures, etc.

With various studios and art galleries settling down, the landscape in Witongwu village has been artistically designed, which not only increases the rent income of villagers, but also leads to the growth of tourism. Today there are 163 households in this village and the annual per-capita income is about 70,000 yuan.