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.