Dolan farmers' paintings, a grassroots art form born in Makit County of northwest China's Xinjiang, are gaining fresh recognition as a vivid symbol of how cultural heritage and modernization flourish side by side in the region.
On the edge of the Taklimakan Desert, Makit County is known not only for its tough fight against the sands, but also for its colorful imagination. For more than half a century, local farmers have transformed scenes of everyday life into vibrant artistic works deeply rooted in local culture, painting new possibilities for this remote area.
"Makit County has had its first farmers' painting team since 1970. Now it has been more than 50 years. The most striking feature of Dolan farmers' paintings is the use of especially vivid colors. You can tell right away it's a style from Makit," said Minawar Mutallip, chairman of the Makit County Artists Association.
Dolan farmers' paintings draw inspiration from everyday life, sometimes with sharp humor. They are also a reflection of hope and gratitude for better days.
"Our main themes include patriotism and love of life. Because Makit is a rather remote place, the country's policies have been especially good to us, and our lives are getting better and better. So many of our works reflect this better life," said Mutallip.
What began as a local tradition is now reaching beyond Makit. Dolan farmers' paintings are attracting outsiders, who come not just to admire the art, but also to help carry it forward.
Xu Jiawei traveled thousands of kilometers to Makit seven years ago from southwest China's Sichuan Province with a determination to help the county alleviate poverty. Trained in fine arts, he was struck by the power of Dolan paintings -- the artists there have no formal training, so their works know no boundaries or rules.
"It was a huge shock to my academic training. I thought, how could yellow and purple be placed so close together? It seemed impossible. But their combinations turned out especially beautiful. I even felt humbled. Their use of colors makes more impact than our muted art," he said.
Xu now serves as the director of the Dolan Painting Village Scenic Area, exploring how to make Uygur folk traditions an engine of cultural tourism in Makit County.
"Their cultural heritage is very deep, but it has to be combined with modern market demand. Luckily, in recent years there's been strong support at all levels for developing the cultural tourism industry, so I feel I need to work even harder in this area," said Xu.
With government support and grassroots efforts, Dolan painting is adding new strokes to Makit's cultural and economic landscape.
"Combined with our desert culture, Dolan farmers' painting has become a cultural calling card," said Mutallip.
Farmers' paintings fuel cultural revival in Xinjiang desert county
China will take further steps to expand high-standard opening-up and create a new landscape of win-win cooperation in 2026, which marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said in a recent interview with China Media Group.
Wang said opening up and cooperation for mutual benefit are integral to Chinese modernization. This year, China will actively expand voluntary opening up.
The country will steadily open up such areas as value-added telecommunications, biotechnology and wholly foreign-owned hospitals, while accelerating comprehensive pilot and demonstration programs for expanded opening-up in the services sector, he noted.
"We will expand the scope and regions of unilateral opening-up and ensure the implementation of zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of tariff lines for all African countries that have diplomatic relations with China. We will vigorously promote the effective implementation of policies for special customs operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port, further enhance the level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, optimize the regional layout and coverage of pilot free trade zones, and support these zones in carrying out more robust institutional opening-up trials in areas such as market access, environmental standards and government procurement, so as to better leverage their role as comprehensive pilot platforms for reform and opening-up," said Wang.
Wang said China will promote the orderly planning of cross-border industrial and supply chains.
Efforts will be made to deepen economic and trade cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, enhance integration and connectivity across production and supply chains, and encourage cooperation in areas including green development, the digital economy, green minerals, new infrastructure and new energy so as to help build global production and supply chain partnerships that are equal, inclusive and constructive, he noted.
"We will give play to the platform role of overseas economic and trade cooperation zones, expand overseas marketing networks and explore international markets through outward investment, achieve mutual promotion between investment and trade, and advance the integrated development of trade and investment. We will also improve the overseas comprehensive service system and the national-level overseas comprehensive service platform," said the minister.
In addition, China will participate constructively in global economic governance, according to the minister.
In 2026, Wang said, China will pursue flexible and pragmatic approaches to negotiate trade and investment agreements with more willing countries and regions, while strengthening economic and trade cooperation under multilateral frameworks such as BRICS, G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, to further promote mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.
China to expand high-standard opening-up to foster win-win cooperation: minister
