The joyful atmosphere of the Xiaoweiwei Painted Village in Xiaying

Text and photos / Keavy Aiqitao
 
I took my dad back to his hometown of Xiaying to catch up with relatives we hadn’t seen in a long time. Amidst the casual chats and catching up with family, while the elders were happily chatting away, I mentioned my interest in visiting the nearby Winnie the Pooh painted village. Not wanting to rob my dad and the relatives of their reunion time, but also not wanting to give up my own desire to see the Winnie the Pooh painted village, I simply said hello to the elders and went to visit on my own. Now, follow my photographic eye

The Winnie the Pooh Painted Village is centered around Winnie the Pooh, whose round body is extremely cute and filled with vibrant colors. Injecting this charm into an old village that was gradually being forgotten has made the whole place feel much younger and more vibrant, thus bringing new life to “A Ying Village.”

Although there has been a wave of painted villages in recent years, the A Ying Winnie the Pooh Painted Village doesn’t just replicate cartoon images. The local youths who painted the A Ying Winnie the Pooh figures aimed to promote Xiaying’s local culture and help more people get to know their hometown. They incorporated ideas with local characteristics into the Winnie the Pooh paintings, such as:

The historic “Wen Gui Hospital,” the first public hospital in the Xiaying area, was built in 1926 but was demolished in 2010. Therefore, a painting was created in its memory.