Older women in SW China's Yunnan find new purpose through painting

People's Daily Online 08:23, November 13, 2025

Photo shows paintings by a member of the Bai Ethnic Farmers' Painting Society in Shuanglang town, Dali city, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Fu Hao)

At 92 years old, Wang Bingxiu spends most of her day sitting in front of an easel and painting.

"I paint 'stories' about Dali and about my own life," Wang said.

Wang lives in Shuanglang town in Dali city, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. She was once an ordinary farmer.

In 2008, Shen Jianhua, an artist from Shanghai, arrived in the town for a long-term stay. During his leisure hours, he took photos and painted portraits of local older residents. Through this chance encounter, Wang began learning to paint under Shen's guidance, becoming his first student in the town. At the time, she was already 78 years old.

Wang, who had little formal education and no systematic art training, mixed her own colors and created her first painting guided by instinct — a tiger. With Shen's help, the painting sold for more than 3,000 yuan (about $421).

Wang Bingxiu works on a painting in Shuanglang town, Dali city, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Fu Hao)

That was over a decade ago. Since then, Wang has completed nearly 100 paintings and even held a solo exhibition at the age of 90.

In Shuanglang town, Wang is just one of many students under Shen's tutelage. To date, more than 20 middle-aged and older women have learned to paint with his guidance.

The themes of their paintings range from memories and daily life to the surrounding landscapes of mountains and water, as well as their hopes for a better future.

"I mainly paint scenes of fishing with nets on Erhai Lake," said Zhao Xinlian, 62, who has been studying with Shen for 14 years. Over the years, Zhao has sold 70 to 80 paintings, with one fetching as much as 80,000 yuan.

Photo shows a painting by a member of the Bai Ethnic Farmers' Painting Society in Shuanglang town, Dali city, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Fu Hao)

As the number of students grew, Shen led them in establishing the Bai Ethnic Farmers' Painting Society in Shuanglang town, Dali. Once the artists had created enough works, Shen began taking them to cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen to hold exhibitions and sell their paintings.

Through painting, some have improved their livelihoods by selling their works, others have expanded their horizons by taking part in exhibitions across the country, and still others have found spiritual fulfillment in the creative process.

Zhao Xinlian works on a painting in Shuanglang town, Dali city, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Fu Hao)

Photo shows Zhang Changying and a painting of her in Shuanglang town, Dali city, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Fu Hao)

Li Ziwang works on a painting in Shuanglang town, Dali city, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Fu Hao)