An exhibition at Peon Art Museum Chongqing shows Xu Beihong's paintings, including Happily Farming in a Peaceful World. [Photo provided to China Daily]

When Xu Beihong (1895-1953) returned to his home country in 1927, the painter had lived and studied art in Europe for nearly a decade, primarily in France, where he had attended the National School of Fine Arts.

One of the earliest Chinese artists to study fine arts in Europe and with accomplishments, Xu was well-received in art and education circles back home. It then seemed a natural choice for him to profit from exhibiting widely and teaching at art schools.

While Xu himself came from a humble background, he felt that fame was not all. Touched by the dire situation of his country and its people struggling for a living at the time, Xu undertook as one of his duties to speak for the plight of his people through painting. The subjects in his works included those living in mountainous Chongqing who had to go up and down to fetch water, boat haulers working on the Yangtze River and women praying for the safety of husbands who made a living far away from home.