Morning — Departure & Nansuo Village
Depart at 8:30 AM and drive for about an hour to Nansuo Village in Huyi District, the home village of farmer painter Zhang Qingyi. Zhang was born in 1954 and has loved painting since childhood; in 1973 he joined a Huxian Peasant Painting creation workshop and has since created over 1,000 works. You will be welcomed with a traditional Chinese dragon dance and land boat race, in which guests are invited to take part.
Morning Activities — Rural Life Experience
Try grinding wheat or corn with a stone mill, then join a guided tour of Zhang's decades-old collection of agricultural tools, many of which hold historical significance. A walking tour of Nansuo Village introduces local agricultural development and rural life, followed by half an hour to one hour of hands-on rural labor, adjusted to the season and farmland conditions.
Lunch — Zhang Qingyi's Home
Around 12:00 PM, lunch is served at Zhang Qingyi's home.
Afternoon — Lecture & Painting Workshop
In the afternoon, Mr. Zhang gives a lecture on the history of Huxian Peasant Paintings, covering themes from the Cultural Revolution and China's Reform and Opening-Up to the household contract responsibility system, modern agricultural development, and his own life journey. This is followed by a two-hour painting workshop led by Mr. Zhang, in which you learn techniques and brushwork, and a feedback session in which he comments on your work.
Cultural Insight
Huxian Peasant Paintings, now associated with Huyi District of Xi'an, are celebrated for their vivid rural charm and are hailed as a representative of modern Chinese folk painting. Originating in the late 1950s and flourishing in the 1970s and 1980s, the art form has been included in the Shaanxi Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
Evening — Huxian Soft Noodles
In the evening you learn to make Huxian Soft Noodles and prepare your own bowl. After dinner, return to Xi'an by car.
Meals
Breakfast at the hotel; lunch at Zhang Qingyi's home; dinner making Huxian soft noodles.
