What Pingtan looks like on canvas

Pingtan's seaside villages inspired Wu Di'nan, a young painter from Guangzhou, during his recent trip to the island city in South China's Fujian province.

Wu decided to visit Pingtan after his friend recommended the city. The 32-year-old has been painting his way across China in recent weeks, visiting places in provinces including Yunnan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang.

According to Wu, he couldn't wait to get out his paintbrush the moment he arrived in Pingtan.

"It's the first time I've seen such clear sea water. I feel totally overwhelmed by the magic of nature," said Wu.

"My inspiration came from observing the ebb and flow of the tide," he added.

In addition to Pingtan's blue skies, vast sea, pristine beaches and stone houses, Wu also integrates the life of local residents into his work. His canvases are full of piled-up fishing nets, barnacle-encrusted boats and long winding lanes.

"All this stuff could be easily found in nearly every rustic fishing village in Pingtan, through which I tried to depict the daily lives of local fishermen," explained Wu.

An exhibition of Wu's portraits of Pingtan is expected to open in Guangdong province soon.

Wearing a dark blue baseball cap and black T-shirt, Wu Di'nan paints Pingtan with his brush. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]