菏澤巨野縣洪廟村的畫室里，十幾名農民畫師俯身案前，筆尖輕點宣紙，一朵朵國色天香的工筆牡丹漸次綻放。巨野縣洪廟農民繪畫專業合作社理事長姚樹昭穿梭其間，時而俯身指導技法，時而接起訂單電話。“唯有牡丹真國色，花開時節動京城”，在姚樹昭的帶動下，鄉親們通過畫牡丹“執筆致富”，工筆牡丹畫也登上了更廣闊的舞臺。

農忙扛鋤頭，農閑拿畫筆，這是“中國工筆畫之鄉”巨野縣的真實寫照。全國每10張手繪工筆牡丹畫當中，就有8張出自巨野縣。2009年，全國第一個以農民繪畫為專業的合作社——巨野縣洪廟農民繪畫專業合作社創立，截至目前，社員已發展到500余人，創立人正是姚樹昭的父親姚桂元。

姚樹昭翻開一張張泛黃的照片——1973年、1977年的畫師合影，記錄著洪廟村最早的繪畫歲月。自幼深受家庭熏陶的姚樹昭，在西安美術學院求學期間師從山水畫家楊建兮教授，不僅繼承了精湛技藝，更拓寬了藝術視野。學成歸來后，他思考的是如何將傳統工筆畫與新時代融合，如何讓這支畫筆為鄉村振興注入新活力。

這些年，巨野工筆牡丹畫發展漸成東風之勢，一次次向世界展示中國傳統繪畫的藝術魅力，最具代表性的就是大幅作品《盛世長虹》的創作。“怎樣把黃河文化和牡丹文化融合？我從立意上創新，配合黃河的黃色，將牡丹的紅花綠葉改為紅花黃葉。”姚樹昭選擇延安段黃河作為表現對象，融入紅色革命文化元素，使作品兼具地域特色與時代精神。2022年，在中國農民書畫研究會的推薦下，《盛世長虹》登上了美國紐約時代廣場的大屏幕，連續播放四天。“巨野的工筆牡丹花正式綻放于世界舞臺。”姚樹昭的語氣中充滿自豪。

如今，姚樹昭的女兒姚明月也在為工筆畫的推廣探索新路。她正嘗試通過AI等技術為客戶提供“沉浸式體驗”，“傳統的售賣方式只能讓客戶看到成品，我們要讓他們提前看到畫作在自己家中的展示效果。這是工筆畫未來銷售的方向。”

在合作社畫室里有一位特殊的畫師——一身漢服裝扮的桂懷芳正在作畫，享受著獨屬于她的“儀式感”。作為合作社的第一批畫師，她一邊細心勾勒花瓣，一邊笑著說：“我喜歡古風文化，喜歡畫我們的牡丹。選擇這個工作，上班時間比較靈活，畫畫的同時能接送孩子上學，能照顧老人還能兼顧農忙。”

姚樹昭免費培訓書畫學員的政策，讓更多人實現了家門口就業。繪畫零基礎、不識字的學員也可以免費進入合作社學習，三個月的時間就能出產品。在合作社里，有身體殘疾的留守家庭婦女，她們都通過一支畫筆改變了生活。姚樹昭特別提到村里的紀東麗，“她是右手殘疾，左手可以畫。別人三個月能學會的東西她用了三年，但會了這一門手藝，一輩子就可吃這碗飯。”據透露，當地農民畫師通過繪制工筆牡丹畫，年收入能增加4萬到8萬不等，通過揮動畫筆實現了增收致富。

“如今的洪廟農民繪畫專業合作社，人人都能畫，人人都有活干，蒸蒸日上，訂單不斷，銷售很可觀。”姚樹昭介紹。據了解，到2024年，巨野縣工筆牡丹畫已形成可實現綜合年產值45億元的文創產業，入選山東省賦能鄉村振興典型案例。“推動巨野工筆牡丹畫等做強品牌、拓展市場……”2025年初，巨野工筆牡丹畫被寫入山東省政府工作報告。姚樹昭和書畫院既是這股產業“東風”的受益者，也是參與者、推動者。

暮色中，洪廟村的畫室燈光亮起，遠處的農田沉入黑暗，而宣紙上的牡丹永葆盛開。一支畫筆的重量不過幾十克，但五百支畫筆共同揮毫時，卻描繪出了鄉村振興的新圖景。

In the painting studio of Hongmiao Village, Juye County, Heze, more than a dozen farmer-painters bend over their desks, their brushes lightly touching the painting paper. One by one, exquisite peonies in the meticulous painting style gradually bloom. Yao Shuzhao, director of the Hongmiao Farmer Painting Cooperative in Juye County, moves among them, sometimes leaning over to offer technical guidance, other times answering order calls. As the ancient verse goes, “Only the peony stands as true national beauty, its blossoms overwhelming the capital in full bloom.“ Inspired by Yao, fellow villagers have “picked up brushes to prosper“ by painting peonies, and the meticulous peony paintings have also stepped onto a broader stage.

Farming during busy seasons and painting during leisure time—this is the true portrayal of Juye County, known as “the Hometown of Chinese Meticulous Painting.“ Eight out of every ten hand-painted meticulous peony paintings in China come from Juye County. In 2009, the country's first professional farmer painting cooperative—the Hongmiao Farmer Painting Cooperative—was established here. Founded by Yao Shuzhao's father, Yao Guiyuan, it has now grown to over 500 members.

Yao Shuzhao flips through yellowed photographs—group photos of painters from 1973 and 1977, documenting the earliest days of painting in Hongmiao Village. Deeply influenced by his family from a young age, Yao Shuzhao studied under landscape painter Professor Yang Jianxi at the Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts. There, he not only refined his skills but also broadened his artistic horizons. After returning home, he pondered how to integrate traditional meticulous painting with the new era and how to use the paintbrush to inject new vitality into rural revitalization.

In recent years, the development of Juye’s meticulous peony paintings has gained momentum, repeatedly showcasing the charm of traditional Chinese art to the world. The most representative example is the creation of the large-scale work “Everlasting Prosperity“. “How could I integrate the cultures of the Yellow River and peonies? I conceptualized it by incorporating the yellow of the Yellow River and adapted the peony's red blossoms and green leaves into red blossoms with yellow leaves,“ Yao explained. He chose the Yan'an section of the Yellow River as his subject, incorporating elements of red revolutionary culture to imbue the work with both regional characteristics and the spirit of the times. In 2022, recommended by the Chinese Farmers' Painting and Calligraphy Research Association, “Everlasting Prosperity“ was displayed on the big screen in New York City's Times Square for four consecutive days. “Juye's meticulous peony paintings officially bloomed on the world stage,“ Yao said with pride.

Today, Yao Shuzhao's daughter, Yao Mingyue, is also exploring new ways to promote meticulous painting. She is experimenting with technologies like AI to provide clients with an “immersive experience.“ “Traditional sales methods only allow clients to see the finished products. We want them to see in advance how the paintings would look in their homes. This is the future direction of sales for meticulous paintings,“ she said.

In the cooperative's studio, there is a special painter—Gui Huaifang, dressed in Hanfu attire, enjoys a sense of ritual unique to her as she paints. As one of the cooperative's first painters, she carefully outlines petals and says with a smile, “I love ancient culture and painting our peonies. This job offers flexible hours, allowing me to paint while taking my children to school, caring for the elderly, and tending to farm work during busy seasons.“

Yao Shuzhao's policy of free painting training has enabled more special groups to find employment close to home. Even those with zero painting experience or who are illiterate can join the cooperative for free training and start producing sellable works within three months. The cooperative includes women with disabilities from left-behind families, all of whom have transformed their lives through the paintbrush. Yao Shuzhao especially mentioned Ji Dongli in the village: “She has a disability in her right hand but paints with her left. It took her three years to learn what others could in three months, but with this skill, she can make a lifelong living.“ It is reported that local farmer-painters have increased their annual income by 40,000 to 80,000 yuan through painting meticulous peony artworks, wielding their brushes to boost their earnings and improve their livelihoods.

“Today, at the Hongmiao Farmer Painting Cooperative, everyone is able to paint, everyone has a job to do. Business is thriving, orders are constant, and sales are impressive,“ Yao Shuzhao noted. It is knowned that by 2024, Juye County's meticulous peony paintings had become a cultural and creative industry with an annual comprehensive output value of 4.5 billion yuan, selected as a typical case of empowering rural revitalization in Shandong Province. “Promoting brands like Juye's meticulous peony paintings and expanding their market…“—in early 2025, Juye's meticulous peony paintings were included in the Shandong Provincial Government Work Report. Yao Shuzhao and the painting academy are both beneficiaries and participants in this industrial “tailwind.“

As dusk falls, the lights in Hongmiao Village's painting studio flicker on. The farmland in the distance sinks into darkness, but the peonies on the rice paper remain forever in bloom. A single paintbrush weighs only tens of grams, but when five hundred paintbrushes wield together, they paint a new picture of rural revitalization.