Liu Dingrui, a calligraphy and painting artist who used to be a farmer from Tongwei County, and her wife Liu Fangping look at their works at their gallery in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, Dec. 19, 2011. Tongwei County of Gansu Province is a place popular for local calligraphic works. More than 3,500 residents in Tongwei, most of them farmers, practise Chinese calligraphy at present in Tongwei. Some of them opened galleries in bigger cities including Lanzhou. In recent years, as government of the county organized exchange meetings, exhibitions and fairs to encourage talented farmers who love calligraphy to start their own business. It is estimated that the overall trade of calligraphic works in Tongwei stands at RMB 50 million  (about USD 7.9 million ) every year. (Xinhua/Nie Jianjiang)

Liu Dingrui, a calligraphy and painting artist who used to be a farmer from Tongwei County, works at his gallery in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, Dec. 19, 2011. (Xinhua/Nie Jianjiang)

Pan Bixia, a painting mounter who used to be a farmer from Tongwei County, works at her studio in Tongwei County, northwest China's Gansu Province, Dec. 19, 2011. (Xinhua/Nie Jianjiang)

Chen Yunyi (L), a calligraphy artist who used to be a farmer from Tongwei County, practises in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, Dec. 20, 2011. (Xinhua/Nie Jianjiang)

Li Fachang, a calligraphy and painting artist who used to be a farmer from Tongwei County, works at his gallery in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, Dec. 19, 2011. (Xinhua/Nie Jianjiang)