Artist Wang Zhichen develops art village in Zhejiang province

Chinese artist and activist Wang Zhichen has spent a decade transforming a wasteland in Zhejiang province into a dedicated art village. After discovering ancestral roots in Shadia Village, Ninghai County, in 2008, Wang envisioned a space featuring art museums and studios for creators.

To fund the project, Wang sold his family home in Beijing in 2014 and sold three paintings by the renowned artist Pan Tian-shou. He purchased approximately 13,300 square meters of land, which he spent ten years renovating. The artist and his wife have since relocated from Ningbo to live in a 500-square-meter, four-story residence within the village, which serves as both a home and a center for his artistic pursuits.