Art workshop transforms lives of village children

Life-changing

In 2016, the couple made a brave decision to quit their high-earning jobs in Beijing and set up an art workshop in Dayuan.

Zhou was running her own workshop, which focused on art in rural areas, while Liu sold handmade guqin and taught students how to play the instrument.

When they arrived in Dayuan, they stayed in Liu's old home and spent their entire life savings, about 2 million yuan, building a two-story building covering 240 square meters. They equipped the art workshop with computers, a projector, musical instruments, painting equipment and an astronomical telescope for both decoration and inspiration.

The workshop, free of charge, is open to all children in Dayuan and nearby villages.

"Our aim is not to educate the children to be artists," Zhou said. "We simply hope that art can give them inner strength for their future lives."

While not its stated objective, the workshop is unearthing raw artistic talent. Deng Yunxiu, 14, has seen momentous changes in her life over the past three years thanks to the workshop.

Talent unearthed

In 2016, Deng and her siblings moved from Guangdong province, where her father was working, to live with her grandparents in Dayuan. She didn't cope well with her new environment and was always fighting with her younger sister and brother.

However, when Deng enrolled in art classes at the Dayuan workshop, Zhou immediately saw the girl had a powerful imagination and a love of painting.

"She wrote a very beautiful poem after watching the stars through the telescope one night. And I noticed that she loved plants very much, so I encouraged her to paint what she saw in nature," Zhou said.

After a month, Deng surprised Zhou with a "splendid" work, a 10-meter-long scroll watercolor painting, which showed dozens of local herbs and flowers. Deng's painting was so impressive, it was displayed at Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing this year.

"I love this workshop and l love teacher Zhou very much," Deng said. "She takes care of us and always listens to us."

The beaming teenager is featured in a short online video that shows her painting as well as her daily life at the workshop.