Xiong Qinghua's oil painting work. [Photo provided to China Daily]

His turning point arrived in 2010 when a friend put his paintings online bringing him wide attention. He held his first solo exhibition at the Chen Gallery in 2015 by which he was known to art dealers and collectors. His financial situation has since then improved: He can afford better painting tools and he builds a European-style house for his family in the village.

He doesn't stay in the city which will bring him more opportunities. He dislikes the noise and the traffic jam, and only in the countryside can he feel secure and like painting.

Still he doesn't blend with the fellow villages around. "Knowing I make money from painting, those who looked down upon me change their attitude utterly. But I don't think they like my paintings now, because I don't paint as precisely as a photo camera can do.