Chinanews, Suzhou, April 28 - Xukou is a small town beside the Taihu Lake, with a total population of about 20,000. However, more than 2,000 farmers there have become painters, and their works are popular in Japan and the US. The annual sales value of their pictures has topped the 30-million-yuan mark since 2005.Xu Kunyuan, student of the famous Chinese painter, Zhang Xinjia, came to Xukou 40 years ago, bringing art to the life of farmers there. Nowadays, painting has become part of life here, and Xukou farmers have completely inherited the artistic style of Xu.The themes of the paintings by those farmers are not only life in the villages, but imbued with their unique understanding of the world as well.Twenty-six painters from other parts of China have set up studios in Xukou, and Xukou can not be called a "painting market" anymore, for painting has successfully become an industry, without losing its artistry.The efficient painting industrial chain in Xukou has brought handsome profits to the farmers. Statistics show that the annual income per capita there is 60,000 yuan.