A mural marvel: young Chinese woman turns decrepit village into artistic tourist hotspot after being

A young woman who was elected chief of her rundown home village in China and proceeded to turn it into a tourist hotspot has become a hit on mainland social media.

Zhang Guifang, 26, from Hebi city in the central Chinese province of Henan won applause for promoting the village online and advancing the construction of infrastructure there.

As a result of her dedication, the village has been transformed into a popular tourist destination, Dianshi News reported.

Zhang said she believed that being a village head was a well paid job and decided to return home in 2021 to run for the election after leaving school.

Despite her age, and doubts about her chances of being elected, she made her dream come true.

“Maybe because I’m young the villagers trust in me. They have shown a very tolerant attitude and supported me,” Zhang told Dianshi.

In a video clip, Zhang is seen hosting a meeting of the village committee. A group of male members are sat around tables listening to her making a speech.

Having grown up in a rural village environment, Zhang knew the difficulties involved, but also the potential of the place.

In a bid to raise the profile of the village, Zhang came up with the idea of giving it a rainbow theme using wall paintings. Her proposal was passed and she set out to make the plan a reality on zero budget.

Zhang convinced an artist friend who specialised in murals to beautify the walls of the village’s main street, free of any upfront charge. Zhang would pay the artist the 100,000-yuan (US$15,000) fee after the artwork was completed and became a hit.

As she anticipated, the beautified village raised online interest after the story of the village was picked up by local media on March 17.

Not only did she pay her artist friend, she also received sponsorship to fund further village construction.

Now Zhang plans to speed up the development of the village infrastructure and improve its telecommunication network.

“I hope the public will continue to witness our growth,” Zhang said.

She now runs a social media account on Douyin through which she shares stories of the village. It has attracted 403,000 followers and gained nearly 2.3 million likes for the four videos she posted so far.

One social media commenter said: “This woman is very brave, smart and talented. I admire her.”

Another person wrote: “She is a beacon of hope for the village.”

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