Young painter expresses love for Chongqing

Recently, marker pictures about the old streets and daily life of local people in Southwest China's Chongqing have gone viral. Many said these works capture the soul and spirit of the historic mountain city by the Yangtze River.

The pictures are drawn by Zhao Hang, 27, a painter from Northeast China's Liaoning province, who settled down in the city last summer.

Zhao has previously worked in several big cities, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. But he felt he couldn't fit in the fast-paced life there.

"I traveled to Chongqing when I was in university and felt connected to the city since then," he said.

In his eyes, Chongqing, a "megacity" with 30 million people, is unique among China's big cities.

"It is developing very fast, but it remains its own lifestyle and history," he said. "It is very inclusive and I immediately felt like I was home."

Zhao likes to visit the old streets hidden behind high-rises and observe the daily life of residents.

As an artist, he finds the colors in the city very impressive.

"I just love the color tones of the city: the sky is grey almost all the time, the old streets look brown and green," he said.

He plans to visit more places in Chongqing and hold an exhibition of various city perspectives.

"Chongqing has many interesting things, such as yellow cabs, bridges and traditional tea houses," he said. "I am going to record them with my drawing pens."