Residents in Putuo create fishermen's paintings on walls of a restaurant. [Photo/WeChat account: zjzsqdxq]

Putuo district in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province has recently been recognized as the hometown of China's folk culture by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, local media reported.

The fishermen's paintings in Putuo have evolved from the decorative paintings on ships in ancient times and are among the fourth batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage items.

The fishermen's paintings in the district mainly depict local fishermen, folk customs, and folk tales using bold design, rich imagination, and bright colors.

Over the past three years, more than 200 fishermen's paintings from Putuo have won provincial and national awards and over 200 works have been collected by the Chicago Public Library, the China Folk Art Museum, the China Agricultural Museum, and Zhejiang Art Museum.

Fishermen's paintings painted on pots. [Photo/WeChat account: zjzsqdxq]

Currently, nearly 100 fishermen's paintings in Putuo have obtained certificates of intellectual property rights.

"In recent years, Putuo has taken measures to protect, promote, and make full use of fishermen's paintings and established centers for local painters to create and exhibit their works and communicate with each other," said a staff member from Putuo culture, broadcasting, tourism and sports bureau.

He added that the district also organizes more than 80 free trainings about fishermen's paintings per year and has opened four creation bases in local schools.