Guo Jianjun, with great ingenuity, paints on the walls of his hometown in Shiyan Village, Xianghua Town, Linwu County, Hunan Province, depicting a colorful rural picture after elaborate creation from theme and pattern selection to layout design and writing.
One day, Guo Jianjun drives to Shiyan Village. He takes out the brushes and pigments prepared in advance and begins to paint on the wall. The content of his painting mostly covers traditional Chinese culture stories. Accompanied by colors, lines and words, these stories that were only read from books before are now vividly presented.
He says that the paintings are very instructive, reflecting the harmony between rural neighbors. The idiom stories, for instance, are also very educational, not only carrying forward the traditional virtue of respecting the old and loving the young, but also encouraging children to be more diligent and studious.
“It’s best to choose a relatively smooth wall. We should add a layer of white primer for better coloring later. I use better external paints. It can last a long time,” said Guo. Different from painting on paper, it is more difficult to paint on outdoor walls. Walls and pigments should be carefully considered for better results.
This 42-year-old villager started to learn painting when he was a senior high school student. He had been to Guangdong and other provinces for work. In 2012, he opened an art glass shop in the county. Engaged in art glass industry, though, he was still keen on painting. Although he was never admitted in a professional academy of arts, he still went somewhere for drawing and painting after work.
In 2021, during an investigation and study in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, Guo learned rural paintings for the first time. He thought that he could exert this expertise to make some contributions to his hometown.
Guo, as a member of Chinese Communist Party of China, says that he is willing to use his brush to draw some paintings about traditional Chinese cultural stories in his hometown, considering that China is now advocating rural revitalization. His aspiration is to let everyone feel their own love for the country, the Party and the hometown through his paintings.
This giant mural painting is 11.5 meters wide and 3.5 meters high. It was painted in July 2021 to celebrate the centennial birthday of the Communist Party of China. The painting depicts a winding and continuous golden Great Wall shuttling through the clouds just like a giant dragon across the northern China, and adopts both abstract and figurative art, combined with various colors, to present a visual impact.
Guo introduces that this painting depicts the Great Wall, one of the seven wonders of the world, symbolizing eternal stability and prosperity of the country and the people, as well as his wish for a better hometown.
Different from ordinary murals, this painting of the Great Wall adopts a more popular relief with more difficult craftsmanship. It took nearly a month for Guo to complete the painting.
Guo tells reporters that the relief technology needs a certain art foundation for its great imagination. During the whole process, he creates the shape by hitting nails or iron wires to avoid falling off over time. Later, he will polish it again. Finally, there will be a process of protection after the paint is applied.
At present, these cultural wall paintings not only dress up the village, but also enlighten the villagers through the presentation of traditional philosophies.
“I’m a member of CPC, and a villager of Shiyan Village. I just try my best to influence more people with my practice,” said Guo.
With his passion and persistence, Guo Jianjun does his best to dress up his village and help revitalize the countryside.