Village people

When night falls, many villagers will get together to sing and dance at the site.

Chen Genchuan, a local villager in his 60s, often spends two to three hours at the gallery painting. "I live in the neighborhood and often come here to kill time," Chen says.

He has created several works that feature the past image of the granaries. "They are all based on my memory, and each one takes about half a month to finish," Chen says, adding that many of his neighbors come to create farmers' paintings whenever they have time.

The granary site has also become popular among young village officials who convene regularly to discuss their work and brainstorm rural vitalization solutions.

"We visit different villages in Yaozhuang town and keep abreast of village development, and will come here about twice a week to discuss the next stage of our work," says Wang Qiqi, a young officer from Yaozhuang.