During his stay in Baise, he used his paintings to help villagers sell their products.

Zhou Jiahu, a 37-year-old local farmer said, "Shang has helped us promote local agricultural products by posting works depicting pigs and chickens on social media to attract buyers."

To enrich the local nightlife, Shang sold paintings to buy street lamps so people could enjoy square dancing in the evenings.

Shang's delicate works are popular with the villagers. "I love his paintings and they reflect the seismic changes in our village," Zhou said.

In recent years, more artists have traveled to impoverished mountain villages to record the development of China's rural areas, presenting stories of the country's battle against poverty.

Shang said: "I've been a witness to the local poverty alleviation efforts. I want to record the changes of this era with my brush and create more works about people."

Xinhua