Painting by Chen Jian [Photo provided to China Daily]

Chen Jian, a native of Qingdao, Shandong province, is inspired by the natural palette of his hometown that boasts a serene seaside view and rows of Western-style houses.

Chen's current exhibition at the National Art Museum of China, Spirit of Simplicity, which runs until Sept 16, showcases dozens of his paintings, including those he did while visiting areas inhabited by the ethnic Tajik people in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Chen has traveled to Xinjiang every year since 2000. There, he would stay for weeks and months, being engulfed in the scenery and hospitality of the Tajik people.

Painting by Chen Jian [Photo provided to China Daily]

Chen Jian's current exhibition at the National Art Museum of China, Spirit of Simplicity, showcases dozens of his paintings, including those he did while visiting areas inhabited by the ethnic Tajik people in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]