Paintings by Yunnan peasants debut on Starbucks cups

The four artworks printed on Starbucks paper cups (Photo provided to Yunnan News)

This spring, artworks of four Yunnan peasant painters have been printed on Starbucks paper cups. This marks the first time that artworks from ordinary people in China have appeared on Starbucks paper cups, and it's also a rare occasion for Starbucks in China to change the designs on its cups, apart from the red holiday-themed ones.

Starbucks has sent the four peasant painters its requirement with simply a word “spring”. So, the four peasants, who have been lived in the villages in the mountains and forests, drew what they liked with their own understanding.

Zhuo Liping and her artwork Spring Day Plowing Scene (Photo provided to Yunnan News)

Zhuo Liping, living in Kunming, has been painting for over 20 years. Her painting is titled Spring Day Plowing Scene, and she got inspiration from her most unforgettable memory of spring. It was over 20 years ago, when she and her family plowed the fields together. A plump ox was toiling, with a puppy wandering by. And her husband was tilling the land while their two young children played around. The blooming pear blossoms, white as snow. The lovely things created a picturesque spring scene.

Luo Lizhen likes to paint by the lakeside. (Photo provided to Yunnan News)

Luo Lizhen, from Kunming, too, is the creator of Spring Scenery of Laoyuhe. Her inspiration came from Dianchi Lake. The golden-line barb, unique to the lake, is one of the typical things she could recall. Nine golden-line barbs swam freely in the painting symbolizing long-lasting auspiciousness and wealth year after year. The fleeting bloom of cornflowers reminds people to cherish the beautiful springtime moments.

Xi Faxian and her artwork Dai Women Harvesting Ferns (Photo provided to Yunnan News)

Nearly seventy years old, Xi Faxian chose pink as the main color for his painting titled Dai Women Harvesting Ferns. "Pink is a joyful color. I hope to express the happiness and joy of spring to everyone with pink,” explained Xi, “and farming is hard work in which sweetness comes after the toil."

Xiong Liangcai paints by the river. (Photo provided to Yunnan News)

Xiong Liangcai is a Lisu folk. He depicted the scene of spring rice seedling transplantation in his painting Lisu People Transplanting Seedlings. The painting is covered in the traditional Lisu color blue, reflecting the clear water surface mirroring the blue sky. In the painting, people dressed in traditional Lisu costumes form a circle to transplant seedlings, anticipating a bountiful harvest in the new year. Fish swim freely in the water, harmoniously coexisting with rice, demonstrating the Lisu people's understanding and love for nature.

Source: Yunnan News; trans-editing by Wang Yunya