Painter devotes artistry to protecting environment in Inner Mongolia

An oil painting by Chinese artist Chen Jiqun is pictured, showing a woman standing alone and looking beyond a barbed-wire fence, in Dong Ujimqin Banner of Xilin Gol League, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Ujimqin tribe has been living in Dong Ujimqin Banner of Xilin Gol League, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, practicing their old nomadic ways for ages. However, since the 1970s, the industrialization and urbanization brought great changes to the lifestyles of the herdsmen.

Take the Ulagai River as an example; it originates in the Greater Hinggan Mountains in Northeast China, covering 320km. But by the end of the 1970s, several reservoirs had been built on its upper and mid reaches for fishery and industrial uses, which left the lower reaches subject to repeated droughts and desertification.