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Painting a new life in NE China(1/8)

2019-07-30 13:41:09 chinadaily.com.cn Editor :Li Yan

Chen Shujiang creates a painting in his studio in Huadian, in northeast China's Jilin Province. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)

Over the past 29 years, Chen Shujiang has created more than 1,000 paintings and won numerous awards in different art competitions across China.

Chen, 46, a farmer in Huadian, Northeast China's Jilin Province, signed up for a free painting course provided by the city's cultural center in 1990.

A painting by Chen Shujiang presents the harvest season in the autumn. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)

"I've been interested in painting since my childhood," he said. "But at that time, I never thought that I could win a gold award in a national folk art exhibition only three years later."

The award greatly encouraged Chen to create more technical artworks, bringing a new splash of color to his life and an essential source of income to his family.

Chen Shujiang creates a painting in his studio in Huadian, in northeast China's Jilin Province. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)

Huadian enjoys a nationwide reputation for its rural artwork tradition, which is defined by a use of vibrant color and agricultural themes.

Thanks to this tradition, the city has seen an unexpected surge in popularity in recent years among art collectors and tourists alike.

A painting by Chen Shujiang presents the spring ploughing. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)

"Worker's paintings have seen a better opportunity for development in China in recent years," said the mayor Zhao Zhengtao. "The government is building it into a characteristic industry to benefit more people, and at the same time, we are positively promoting the art to get on the international stage."