It was nearly dusk when Yan Yu woke from his siesta. Putting on an overcoat, he and Big Black, the "number-one dog in the village," began a short walk along a country road laced at each side with towering poplar trees. During his stroll, a routine he has kept to each day for more than a decade, the painter could easily be mistaken for a farmer from the village he calls home.
Usually, after having supper together with his family, Yan will go to his studio and work until he is too tired to continue. When he opens his eyes the following morning, his first thought is to get his son to kindergarten on time. Later in the day, when not working, he will tidy up the courtyard and visit with friends.
Yan is just one of the many professional painters who choose to live in the villages of Songzhuang, a small and rustic town located in the east suburbs of Beijing. Though this place is only a 30-minute drive from downtown Beijing, it is endowed with mountains, rivers, plain and unobstructed starlight.
Since 1994, when the first painter came to town, bought a deserted farmhouse, and settled down, the area has attracted other young and unknown artists. They are captivated by their art, striving to realize their life's goal and seeking opportunities for success, but many have yet to establish a stable source of income.
From the beginning, most of the residents in the village have been avant-garde painters. Now the area accommodates one of the largest artists' communities in China, drawing painters of varying styles; ranging from the avant-garde to the academic. Sculptors and photographers also call the area home.
Yan bought a farmer's courtyard compound here in 1994, settled down and he happily remains today.
"In Songzhuang everybody finds himself starting from the same jumping-off point with others," Yan explains. "No one feels himself superior or inferior to anyone else, and no authorities but your own works will speak for you." Expressing his satisfaction with his life in an artist village, he says, "Here I can exchange views with fellow painters, and we are able to explore modern and experimental art together, thus acquiring a sense of belonging that we cannot get elsewhere."
Living in a spacious home in Songzhuang separates him from the hustle and bustle of urban life, thus enabling him to cultivate a mild temperament. He says that the lifestyle he has chosen allows more leisure time to enjoy life. In this tranquil place, he explains, he has developed more confidence and can now better focus on his painting.
"It is full of fun living among friends of the same mind, who can gather together at a single whistle," Yan said.
Besides the special geographic location and the unique artistic atmosphere, it is often the low cost of living that draws painters here. A spacious house in Songzhuang can be rented at 100 yuan a month. This holds practical allure for painters yet to generate a steady income and collaborative appeal for those who wish to settle among fellow artists.
After many years of hard work, a lucky few of these villager artists have become known at home and abroad. They are now frequent guests of international art shows, such as the Venice Biennale, and their works are being acquired by overseas collectors. Most painters of the villages still remain unknown and leading a simple life.
Rather than embarrassment, however, this anonymity often brings a certain satisfaction in what they have accomplished. They purchased deserted cottages or old schools and rebuilt them into homes. They designed those homes themselves, fetched stones from the riversides and laid them one-by-one into the structures with the help of farmers.
Entering Songzhuang you will find that courtyards varyingly designed to the different styles and taste of the respective artist. Here and there is found an artistically mended vat, hurricane lamps beneath the roof, a swing entangled with morning glory and honeysuckle, bamboo fences and corridors hanging heavy with gourds. A lotus pond, an arched bridge, flowers and plants are allowed to grow wild-all reveal a courtyard owner's originality and sense of beauty.
Village painters believe that the quiet and independent environment in the countryside not only brings them closer to nature, but also allows for independence and the intellectual distance they feel is needed for the non-distracted practice of art.
Painter Yan Yu lives in a large house set off by a spacious courtyard. According to Yan, his family is satisfied with life. They enjoy clean air and fresh vegetables, but are not out of reach of urban life. They are experiencing the inherent pleasure of being close to the earth, near plants and animals; leading what they see as a poetic life.
For many of the village artists, nothing is more important than a steady, unhurried and unrestricted life. They live as they like and each day they are among friends.
For all the village artists, while they continue their individual artistic pilgrimages, they enjoy life on their own terms.
(China Pictorial March 18, 2005)
