Recently, in Yudong Village of Gouxi Township, Kecheng District, the sounds of woodworking echo from old houses. Inside a studio converted from an idle farmhouse, Huang Hongfang, the person in charge of the Xizuo Art Space, is organizing newly finished wooden pendants. Tools and natural materials are neatly arranged, with everything from accessories to original small items crafted by her hand. In just a few months, this rural art workshop has gained popularity, attracting many out-of-town tourists and local residents to experience the joy of handicrafts—this is a vivid snapshot of Yudong Village's "second phase of revitalization."
In April 2021, Yudong, known as "China's Number One Farmer Painting Village," officially debuted as a Future Village. However, as similar art villages proliferated and the village's original business formats aged, its developmental vitality gradually waned. To break through this bottleneck, Gouxi Township initiated preparatory work for enhancement in 2024. In the second half of 2025, leveraging the contiguous development project of "Nankong Painting Township," the village formally commenced the "second phase of revitalization" for Yudong Future Village through measures such as integrating idle spaces, environmental improvement, demolition of illegal structures, and land acquisition and storage.
This round of upgrades has addressed shortcomings in village facilities. The village removed walls around the village committee to create a more open and greener space, introducing a distinctive "Little Fish" IP to attract crowds. It also upgraded the parking lot in Yuxi Village, expanding bus parking spaces and adding charging stations, thereby improving cultural tourism infrastructure. These efforts have effectively tackled previous issues of short visitor stays and difficulty in retaining tourists.
Business format renewal is the core driver for enhancing the village's quality. Since last October, a variety of new diverse formats have been introduced, including Yimu Sandi, Dirty Hand Farm, art workshops, and painting cake shops. Combined with distinctive landscape features, these elements are being linked to create an immersive rural cultural tourism experience chain. Among them, a 40-acre family campground offers rich activities and has seen steadily rising popularity since its opening on New Year's Day, with fine weather days attracting an average of three to four hundred visitors daily. During the May Day holiday, it achieved revenue breakthroughs through special events, and Quzhou's first Animal Music Festival is scheduled for June.
"In the past, we focused solely on the single format of farmer paintings. Now, we are breaking away from fixed thinking, with woodworking, tie-dye, pottery, traditional pastries, and more all becoming distinctive carriers of rural art," said Yu Xiaoqin, the village Party branch secretary.
The locality has also broken down geographical barriers between Yudong and Yuxi villages, implementing contiguous yet differentiated development to complement and enrich the visitor experience. Additionally, a "five-year rent-free" merchant-friendly policy has been introduced, where入驻 entities are responsible for interior decoration while the village collective coordinates supporting services. This effectively lowers the entry threshold, attracting various new business formats to establish themselves.
Gouxi Township is currently developing three distinctive themed lanes, with subsequent projects including the renovation of the villagers' activity center and pond restoration. Through continuous business format renewal and facility quality improvement, the aim is to transition the painting village from relying on government "blood transfusions" to achieving self-sustaining "blood generation," attracting young people to return and start businesses, thereby injecting lasting vitality into rural development.
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