Huxian Peasant Painting in Xian

Chinese Name: 西安户县农民画
English Name: Huxian Peasant Painting in Xian
Admission Fee of Peasant Painting Exhibition Hall: CNY 10
Opening Hours: 09:00-18:00
Type: Folk Art, Cultural Attraction
Best Time: All year around
Recommended Visiting Hours: one hour
Location: Huxian County, Xi'an City of Shaanxi Province

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Basic Introduction of Huxian Peasant Painting

Located 40 km (about 25 miles) southwest of Xi’an City, Huxian County was named the County of Painting by Ministry of Culture in 1988.  Now, Huxian County is also renowned as one of the most famous counties of Peasant Painting in China. Bordering Qinling Mountain to the south and the Wei River to the north, Huxian County boasts splendid landscapes and a long history.

Arts Features of Huxian Peasant Painting

Peasant Painting in Huxian County originated from the folk, and evolved on the basis of the folk arts such as paper cutting, mural painting, New Year painting and embroidery in Guanzhong area of Shaanxi Province. With simple painting language, the spectacular scenes of rural production labor, lively festive scenes and colorful folk customs are recorded in detail and vividly. It is characterized by distinctive regional features, concise and full scenes, bold and rich imagination, and romantic and immature style. 

Today’s Peasant Painting in Huxian County pay more attention to express emotion. Peasant painters draw familiar lives with their own life experience and unique artistic creativity, revealing a strong spirit of the time. By using bright colors and fantastic style, peasants record their everyday life, the beautiful landscape, the great harvests and the busy festivals vividly. Some paintings are bold and unconstrained,   some are strong and impassioned, while yet others are ornate and elegant. All of them have a naive charm, clear and full of the feeling of folk life.

Creative Subjects of Huxian Peasant Painting

Peasant Painting in Huxian County are mostly based on subjects such as figures, animals, flowers and birds. They depict the beautiful natural rural scenery in Huxian County. Using the form of line drawing, the composition is simple, bold and full of rich imagination. Pay attention to color contrast, with bright colors and exaggerated description, to pursuit the strong intuitive effect and attach importance to the dicoration.

Representative Artists and Works 

Peasant Painting in Huxian County first appeared during the 1950s. At that time, most paintings were focused on work. After more than fifty years, there are over 2,000 painters now resident in the county. There are more than 2,000 peasant painters, and 300 backbone painters. There are many famous painters like Li Fenglan(李凤兰), Liu Zhide(刘志德), Liu Zhigui(刘知贵), Fan Zhihua(樊志华), Wang Wenji(王文吉) Pan Xiaoling(潘晓玲), Cao Quantang (曹全堂) and Luo Zhijian(雒志俭), some of them have been invited by foreign countries to visit and give lectures, with some even publishing books abroad. 

At the same time, they created a number of fine paintings, such as Old Secretary(《老书记》), Spring Hoe(《春锄》), Fish Pond of Commune(《公社鱼塘》), More Diligent and Thrifty in Industry(《业大更勤俭》), Downwind(《顺风》), Washing Cloth(《洗布》), Auspicious Day(《吉日》) and Watching Opera(《看戏》). Many masterpieces have been exhibited in more than 60 countries. Many of them have been collected by national and international art museums, galleries and individuals. Some paintings have even been used as gifts to the exalted state guests.

Huxian Peasant Painting Exhibition Hall

Huxian Peasant Painting Exhibition Hall is the first county peasant painting exhibition hall and the largest folk art hall in China so far. The area is 7,388 square metres. There are 20 staff and 6 professional and technical cadres.There are eight exhibition halls in the museum, including the exhibition hall of Boutique Painting Works, the exhibition hall of Award-winning Works, and the Supermarket of Folk Artworks. The function of the exhibition hall is to contact, organize and coach the study and train painters.  To conduct publicity, communication, artistic creation and artistic research on peasant paintings. To unite, consolidate, develop and expand the ranks of authors.

Travel with ChinaDragonTours (top recommended)

If you want to get out of the traffic and hassle of navigation, you can book a private tour package that includes visiting, dining and transfer from us. Our local guide and driver will escort you to the Huxian Exhibition Hall to visit Peasant Paintings in the fastest and most convenient way and take care of all the details. You just have to focus on the visiting.

Independent Travelers

• Take bus No. 911 from Xi’an Bus Station (located on Fengqing Road) to Huxian North Bus Station. Then take local bus No. 805, 910 or 812 and get off at Huazhanjie Station. Walk east along Huazhan Street for around 5 minutes to reach.
• Take bus No. 928 from Xi’an South Bus Station or No. 930 from Sanfuwan Long Distance Bus Station to Huxian Bus Station. Then take local bus No. 908 and get off at Huazhan Shizi Station and enter the Exhibition Hall via the north gate.