A news conference is held in Beijing April 13 to promote an art exhibition in Lishui, Zhejiang province in May. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

The Liandu district of Lishui, Zhejiang province, invited people from around the world to an art exhibition in May at a news conference in Beijing April 13.

The art exhibition, slated to open on May 7, is going to present over 70 paintings about Guyanhuaxiang (literally meaning "ancient weir and painting town"), an idyllic town in the district with Chinese-style buildings and unblemished natural landscapes.

Renowned artists from home and abroad, including Xu Jiang, president of the China Academy of Art, will attend the exhibition and exchange insights on art and education.

Following the artistic mode in the French town of Barbizon, in recent years Guyanhuaxiang has been developing itself into a hub for painters who come from near and far to capture the town's beauty. Artists are encouraged to draw their inspiration directly from nature.

Actors parade along an ancient street during an art festival at Guyanhuaxiang in Liandu district of Lishui, East China's Zhejiang province, Aug 5, 2017. In recent years, the town has been seeking artistic approaches for rural revitalization. [Photo/Xinhua]

So far, nearly 300 art schools and institutes have launched education bases in the town and around 300 art makers have been stationed here for business development and expansion.

Thanks to this development mode, the ancient town has been gradually realizing rural revitalization and achieving green development via artistic approaches.