Zheng Chengxing realized his dream of painting and calligraphy.

Zheng Chengxing, a villager of Pushizhuang Village, Fengdengwu Town, Fengrun District, Tangshan City, has loved traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy since childhood, and it has always been his dream to become a calligrapher and painter. In order to realize this dream, he shut down the chicken farm that he had operated for more than 20 years and converted the chicken house into a painting and calligraphy academy. In his late twenties, he picked up his brush and concentrated on traditional Chinese painting. He also held an art exhibition to meet friends in painting and lit up his old age with his dreams.

Zheng Chengxing's calligraphy and painting Academy is located in a farm courtyard with a yellow wall and a red roof at the entrance of the village. The six gilded characters of the Jiacun Xuan calligraphy and painting Academy above the gate are particularly eye-catching. The warm winter sun reflects the couplets written in thick ink beside the gate, the golden grains of rice are drying in the open space in front of the courtyard, and several newly framed traditional Chinese paintings are placed beside the courtyard wall, which is idyllic.

A bungalow of more than 250 square meters in the courtyard used to be a chicken house. After repainting and decoration, it was transformed into two large and small showrooms of calligraphy and painting. More than 100 calligraphy and paintings were neatly hung on the roof and walls, including works by Zheng Chengxing. There are also Mo Bao of Fengrun and the famous painters and calligraphers in Tangshan. The former noisy chicken house is now faint with ink fragrance.

Influenced by a cultural man in the village, Zheng Chengxing was infatuated with traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy from an early age. Although he had never learned art from a teacher, Zheng Chengxing, who was talented, painted like a model. He especially likes landscape painting and often copies his favorite paintings with dim lights in the middle of the night. When he was a teenager, he painted wall posters for the village and Kang Wai for the villagers' families. However, at that time, painting could not be used as food, and if he wanted to support his family, he had to cultivate the land. later, he set up a chicken farm with more than 30 chicken sheds, and his busy life left him no time to study traditional Chinese painting.

But Zheng Chengxing's dream of painting never dies. In early 2015, the 65-year-old made up his mind to give up his business and pursue his dream. This decision was supported by the family, and the children also felt that their father was old and that it was time to "retire" and enjoy his old age. Although the closure of the chicken farm has greatly reduced the income, Zheng Chengxing says that with the support of the children, he will save more in the future and will not worry about eating, clothing, seeing a doctor and providing for the aged.

In his own calligraphy and painting academy, Zheng Chengxing enjoys the joy of painting. He gets up at 4 o'clock every morning to draw, and stands for two hours in front of the book case. The Academy of calligraphy and painting has attracted many painters, calligraphy lovers and villagers to visit. Every day, in addition to receiving visitors, Zheng Chengxing often drinks tea and talks about paintings with friends in the cabin next to the studio. In September last year, together with Yutian County calligraphy and painting Academy, he held a 15-day "painting Exhibition commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Victory of the World Anti-Fascist War", displaying more than 150 paintings. During the development period, there was a steady stream of visitors, and many painters and calligraphers also splashed ink in the calligraphy and painting academy and created more than 80 calligraphy and paintings on the spot. The successful holding of the exhibition exceeded expectations, excited Zheng Chengxing and strengthened his dream of pursuing painting.

Painting brought endless fun to Zheng Chengxing, and the establishment of the calligraphy and painting Academy opened a new life for him. He said: nowadays, life in rural areas is changing with each passing day, the living conditions of farmers are getting better and better, their concepts are constantly changing and improving, and there is a greater demand for cultural life. As long as there is a dream, not afraid of late, the courage to pay, there will always be something in return.

Zhu Dayong