197 © The Author(s) 2020 M. Corlin, The Bishan Commune and the Practice of Socially Engaged Art in Rural China, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5795-8_8 CHAPTER 8 Epilogue: Guanxi Aesthetics or the State as Artistic Director Looking at the entrance of Bishan Village in August 2019, it is clear that the village does not look the same. Adorning the village entrance to the right are wooden placards displaying names and contact details of the more than forty homestays, inns, hostels and guesthouses that have opened in the village along with a map designating their location. The entire vil- lage has been beautifed, with fowers along the main roads, an improved garbage collecting system, new and improved paved village roads and alley names (Fig. 8.1). Many villagers with old Huizhou-style houses have taken advantage of the situation and refurbished their homes to function as guesthouses and homestays. The village committee supports this development by providing a pleasant village environment and assisting with the infrastructural issues of the village. Furthermore, to help keep the village free of garbage, they have set up a recycling system at the of fce of the village committee. At the Eco Beauty Supermarket, as it is called, you can exchange different kinds of garbage into something useful according to a carefully calculated sys- tem, for example 10 old batteries will get you a tooth brush, 120 used plastic bags for 2.5 bottles of dishwashing liquid or 60 empty cigarette packages for 1.5 bags of salt. Many villagers express satisfaction as the development has brought more job opportunities and people in general to Bishan. It has been three and a half years since Ou Ning was forced by the authorities to leave Bishan Village. His houses, the Buffalo Institute and