Yixing is known for its fine clay with which artisans have produced teapots prized by tea lovers for centuries. But this historic city in Jiangsu province is also home to modern artists, among them Xu Beihong, Wu Guanzhong and Wu Dayu.

Encouraged by this history, Cheng Qiang became a painter and an inheritor of the culture of his hometown tradition. In addition to starting a project at the ancestral residence of Xu Beihong, he also directs the Xu Beihong Art Gallery.

In parallel, Cheng has been working on his own paintings, in which he takes an abstract approach.

They convey the changing mood of seasons as seen by one in awe of the wonder of nature, and are rendered in a vivid palette.

His ongoing solo show at Shanghai's China Art Museum, which runs until Sept 14, reveals a brilliant world in which the painter tries to hide the traces of his brush, the lines and the work of his hands, but lets the colors run freely, to speak for themselves and the rules of universe.