Rural creativity for community revitalization in Bishan Village, China: The nexus of creative practices, cultural revival, and social resilience

This paper reports a case study of the community revitalization initiative in Bishan Village, Anhui Province, China, which is art-oriented and overseen by the renowned art curator Ou Ning and his colleagues. The Bishan Project, launched in 2011, is analysed as an attempt to revive the countryside through cultural and creative innovations. This responds to the recent emphasis in rural studies on arts and creativities as effective interventions into rural revival and development. To comprehend the vibrant, resilient, and innovative ruralities that are proliferating around the world, the post-productivism thesis casts important light on the revival and revalorization of rural places by way of the diversification of rural livelihoods and economies. However, the focus on cultural consumption by urban consumers cannot account for the varied constellations of economic, social, and cultural innovations that contribute to the swift reinvention of rurality. Engaging instead with the literature on rural creativity, which examines the crucial role of creative practices in restoring rural subjectivities and remedying the social fabrics in rural regions, this study suggests that creative initiatives intervene in and catalyst the restoration of local cultures and social relations, and contribute to an evolutionary resilience that is nonetheless contested and indeterminate, revolving around tensions between the cultural authority of artists and villagers’ uneven participation; and between local villagers’ aspiration for economic development and artists’ reluctance to capitalize on rural creativities.