Art classroom at the Gala Boarding Elementary School at the Gala township of Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province. [photo by Luo Wangshu/CHINA DAILY]

In the mountainous Gala township of Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province, a unique art initiative is creating waves of transformation.

Wu Pengbo, an art teacher from Jinghua Elementary School in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has spent nearly a month at the Gala town boarding school in Yajiang county, revolutionizing the role of art in the lives of the students.

Wu, 36, arrived with the intent to support and enhance art education at a school that previously lacked a dedicated art teacher.

"I thought my presence could provide much-needed support," he said. However, the experience has turned out to be mutually transformative.

"Art doesn't need to be taught; it's an innate ability. My role is to provide materials and create an environment," Wu said.