ZHENGZHOU, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Shibanyan, a beautiful township in Central China's Henan province, has become a popular destination for art practitioners.

　　Every summer, art students from all over the country would come here and practice sketching or painting.

　　Shibanyan was once a remote and impoverished town. Many locals left their homes to seek jobs in other places.

　　Things began to change in the 1990s when groups of teachers and students from art schools discovered this scenic town and made it a base for art creation.

　　With more and more visitors, homestays, restaurants, and painting workshops have been set up in the town in recent years, greatly increasing the income for local people.

　　There are now 141 painting bases in Shibanyan Town. The town is still working to improve supporting facilities, striving to build itself into China's "painting valley."