SHOWING APPRECIATION: A farmer looks at a wall painted with tigers in Wanggongzhuang Village of Henan Province (WANG SONG)

Farmers in Shandong Province also increase their income through making handicrafts including kites, woven products, wood carvings, and Chinese knot handicrafts, according to Pan's research.

For instance, folk artists in Yangjiabu Village of Shandong made over 6.5 million kites in 2009, with a total output value of 33 million yuan ($5.26 million). Each artist earned 12,000 yuan ($1,914) on average, which is higher than the average income of farmers—7,695 yuan ($1,227)—in Weifang City that year.

Statistics also show that the total output value of the arts and handicrafts industry in China has gone beyond 600 billion yuan ($95.69 billion). Nine provinces including Guangdong, Shandong, Zhejiang and Henan are the key production areas.

Folk industry

To expand the tiger cultural industry, Wanggongzhuang invested 16 million yuan ($2.55 million) to build a tiger cultural community, housing over 60 studios for farmer-painters.

In addition to tiger paintings, a series of other tiger products such as tiger-head-shaped hats, shoes and pillows have also been developed in the village, which are well received on the market.

The village has also boosted the economy in the adjacent villages with its painting business.

While the arts and handicrafts industry is booming in rural areas, it still faces some problems and challenges.

"Quality should be given more attention when making handicraft products," warned Feng Jicai, Chairman of the Chinese Folk Literary and Art Society.

"Rural cultural industry should be developed in a balanced and sustainable way," he told Beijing Review.

Yan Gongda, member of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Vice Chairman of Jiangsu Federation of Literary and Art Circles, agrees with Feng. "Over-advertising and packaging should be avoided," he said. "Innovation is also important, and products should meet customers' practical and aesthetic needs."

Social significance

With an increasing number of farmers finding jobs in cities, the rural population has decreased in many places. But in Shandong, where arts and handicraft businesses flourish, more and more young and middle-aged people choose to work at home, according to Pan's research.

"We can take advantage of stay-at-home handicraft-making as a feasible solution for problems related to the aging population and attracting migrant workers back to rural areas," said Pan.

"In addition to their gains from agricultural production, farmers in Shandong earn about 10,000 yuan ($1,595) every year on average by making handicrafts," he said. "It's quite a handsome income."

"Farmers engaged in handicrafts seem to feel contented," Pan told Beijing Review. "They need not only to be provided for, but also to be happy."

Working at home gives Xiao more time to spend with his family, while still making money. "Young people in our village are employed locally," he said, "so there are no unattended children and elderly people in our village."

Xiao said he felt proud of their tiger culture tradition. "Painting tigers not only enriches our cultural life, but also boosts the whole cultural atmosphere of the village," he said.

An art school for training young artists will start recruiting students soon, as the village plans to train over 2,000 professional painters in the next three years to pass down the village's tradition.

"The facilities and environment have been bettered, yet our painting skills should also be improved, as these are the foundations of this industry," he stressed.

Email us at: liuyunyun@bjreview.com