Empowering rural cultural revitalization through the construction of art towns
2025-12-24
Rural revitalization is a major task in achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed to accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas and solidly promote the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas. The comprehensive revitalization of rural areas cannot be achieved without the prosperity and flourishing of rural culture. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "we must promote the revitalization of rural culture" and "solidly advance rural construction and promote the prosperity of rural culture". In 2025, the No. 1 central document, "Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Further Deepening Rural Reform and Firmly Promoting the Comprehensive Revitalization of Rural Areas", made a systematic deployment of civilized rural style, cultural and tourism integration and talent support. Art village construction, as an innovative model that deeply integrates artistic creation and cultural practice into rural development, is becoming an important path to activate local vitality, build livable, business friendly, and beautiful countryside. It is not only a "beautifier" of rural environment, but also a "inheritor" of cultural roots, a "catalyst" for industrial upgrading, and an "enabler" of rural governance, providing inspiring practical examples for the revitalization of rural culture in the new era. Art village construction is an important measure to activate the endogenous driving force of rural culture. Its value lies in promoting the triple profound transformation of rural cultural ecology through systematic artistic intervention. Firstly, promote cultural inheritance from "static preservation" to "dynamic continuation". Art village construction will transform the cultural resources accumulated in history into contemporary practices that can be perceived, participated in, and disseminated, truly integrating cultural memories into daily life and consolidating the foundation of rural cultural identity. Secondly, promote the transformation of cultural resources from "endowment advantages" to "development capital". Through creative design and industrial integration, Art Village Construction transforms cultural symbols and traditional skills into products and experiences with market value, opening up new tracks for rural industrial revitalization. Thirdly, promote the transformation of rural construction from "external input" to "endogenous stimulation". The construction of art villages adopts a participatory and collaborative approach, transforming villagers from "bystanders" to "participants," "creators," and "beneficiaries." In the process of awakening subject consciousness and cultivating governance capabilities, a governance community of co construction, co governance, and sharing is built. Art village construction takes revitalization and inheritance as the starting point, and builds a solid value foundation for rural cultural revitalization. Continuing the cultural roots requires the use of modern means to achieve creative transformation. One is to preserve cultural genes through digital technology. By utilizing technologies such as 3D scanning and digital twins, a systematic digital archive of traditional villages and ancient architectural relics is established, creating a "digital gene bank of rural culture" to achieve preventive protection and sustainable preservation of cultural heritage, providing core data support for innovative utilization. The second is to translate cultural symbols through creative design. Extract and recreate cultural symbols such as intangible cultural heritage techniques and folk patterns, transforming them into contemporary aesthetic cultural and creative products and digital content. For example, combining traditional "micro engraving" techniques with AR technology to successfully attract the attention of young people. The third is to activate the practice of inheriting culture through experience. By moderately artistically enhancing rural festivals and folk rituals, the infectivity and participation of activities can be strengthened, and traditional public spaces such as ancestral halls and squares can be revitalized, becoming an important link for community emotional cohesion and cultural experience. The construction of art towns takes innovation and integration as the path to stimulate the industrial momentum of rural cultural revitalization. Promote the deep integration of cultural resources and related industries. One is to empower traditional craftsmanship with design upgrades. Introducing professional design forces to innovate and brand rural handicrafts, promoting their upgrading from "local specialties" to high value-added "cultural and creative masterpieces", and significantly enhancing their industrial value. Secondly, scene reconstruction promotes the integration of culture and tourism. By creatively transforming idle farmhouses, old factories, etc., creating characteristic spaces such as art museums and art homestays, we aim to promote the transformation of rural areas from tourist destinations to immersive, experiential, and consumable cultural and leisure destinations. Thirdly, digital empowerment broadens market channels. Actively utilizing platforms such as short videos and live streaming e-commerce to build a digital industry chain from online display to smart logistics, helping rural cultural and creative products break through geographical limitations and reach vast markets. The construction of art towns is supported by collaborative education, and gathers the talent force for rural cultural revitalization. Talents are the primary resource for rural revitalization, and the cultivation of talents for rural revitalization requires intergenerational connection and innovative governance models through the construction of subject capacity. One is the coordinated targeted training of young talents between schools and local areas. Establish a "university+local+rural" practice base, promote the extension of art education classrooms to the fields, and provide targeted training for young talents who love their hometown, master skills, and know how to operate in rural areas. Second, flexible talent introduction stimulates local innovation vitality. Through mechanisms such as artist residency programs and creative camps, attract external talents to bring new ideas, technologies, and resource networks, stimulate local innovation vitality, and drive talent aggregation. The third is community co creation to cultivate cultural management talents. Organize villagers to participate in public art creation and community building, and cultivate their own cultural management talents through the establishment of benefit sharing mechanisms such as "art cooperatives", becoming witnesses and leaders of rural cultural development. The construction of art towns relies on mechanism innovation as a guarantee to solidify the institutional foundation for rural cultural revitalization. To ensure the stability and long-term development of the Art Village Construction Bank, a favorable development environment and institutional support are needed. One is to strengthen system planning and promote collaborative implementation. Integrate the construction of art towns into the overall plan for rural revitalization in counties, and promote it in coordination with industries, ecology, and human settlements to avoid fragmentation and form a sustainable mechanism. Secondly, we must adhere to respecting the local culture and safeguarding its authenticity. Art intervention must fully respect the natural texture, historical context, and villagers' wishes of rural areas, avoid "foreign implantation" and excessive commercialization that are divorced from reality, and protect the original cultural ecology of rural areas. The third is to improve policy guarantees and optimize the development environment. Encourage local governments to introduce support measures in terms of funding, land use, talent, etc., and build a diversified cooperation mechanism with government guidance, market operation, social participation, and farmers as the main body. Art village construction is a profound practice that awakens rural areas with aesthetics, activates rural areas with creativity, and unites people's hearts through co creation. It systematically connects tradition and modernity, protection and development, external assistance and endogenous power through the cultural bond. This practice not only promotes the implementation of the "Cultural Revitalization" of the "Comprehensive Rural Revitalization Plan (2024-2027)", injects fresh vitality into the revitalization of rural culture, but also contributes to the creation of a new picture of "harmony and unity" in the process of Chinese path to modernization. (New Society)
Edit:Momo Responsible editor:Chen zhaozhao
Source:Guangming Net - Guangming Daily
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