His extensive travels over a seven-year period afterward covered major cities, including Xi'an, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

Before the trips, Qi taught himself to paint by learning from Jieziyuan Huapu, a standard manual on Chinese ink painting, and copied the works of great painters from centuries ago.

Nature invigorated him, liberating him from the restraints of conventional rules. He gradually reduced the heavy layering and shading of the subjects and instead applied as few strokes as possible to reinforce the serenity and purity of the natural scenery. He quit using a long-favored monochromatic style and adopted a vibrant palette to convey the vitality of nature.

He rediscovered himself among the mountains and rivers. Even though his depiction of objects didn't look delicate enough to meet the standard approaches he had learned from painting manuals, he continued to convey his feelings through his art.

After returning from his final trip, Qi produced two collections of landscapes, Twenty-four Scenes of Shimen and Jieshan Tu, which show his initial experiments with a new approach. They are both on show at the ongoing exhibition at the Art Museum of the Beijing Fine Art Academy.

"I want to borrow from nature," he had once said of the subjects he painted.

Qi's paintings have led the audiences, whether in the past or the present, into the panorama of nature and introduced them to a Chinese cultural spirit that emphasizes a return to natural simplicity.

His paintings also reveal that he remained positive and peaceful, says Mei Mosheng, a painter and researcher at the China National Academy of Painting.

"He lived a long life, being genuine, simple and diligent."

If you go

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays, through Sept 23. 12 Chaoyang Gongyuan Nan Lu, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-6502-5171.