Mogan Mountain town of Deqing country received a group of special guests on Nov 29, who came to investigate how to set up an international artistic communication space among the mountains in northern Zhejieng province.

The group comprised of more than 40 experts, artists and curators, who specialized in the relationships of art with public space and with social relations. The visit signified the launch of the "Mogan Mountain 'Belt and Road Initiative' Public Art Action Plan".

Initiated by Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts and the Administration Committee of Zhejiang Mogan Mountain International Tourist Area, the plan was designed to promote rural construction by applying arts into cultural, economic and social practices.

According to the plan, in the following three years, more than 100 public artists will settle at Mougan Mountain to help build local towns and villages with their artistic abilities and academic knowledge, aiming to bring more benefits to local residents by integrating artistic design to natural landscapes and building the town into a base of public arts and artistic education.

When the group came to Hecun village, local peasant Yan Huogen, in his seventies, was making baskets out of bamboo in front of his house. Yan explained that earlier villagers used to make a living by picking tea leaves, but later they all mastered basket making skills. These words inspired a German artist who said that weaving with bamboo was an emerging art in their country and he would consider setting up a studio for Yan and helping him spread the skill worldwide.

In the following days the artists from different countries continued to visit local residents, collect resources and make creative designs.

"The 'Mogan Action Plan' is more than a single art project. We hope it can build an international platform for different groups to communicate on arts and intelligence," said Ouyang Su who was from Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts and in charge of the project.

The academy was also taking efforts to transform discarded buildings into an art center and inviting world well-known artists, designers and architects to conduct creative works based on the natural environment and life styles in Mogan Mountain area. The final works would become local landmarks and landscapes. "Our optimal goal is to transform Mogan mountain into a mobile museum," explained Ouyang Su.