Breathing new life into brushwork

In 2009, when the Xiangxi prefecture government held a folk arts and crafts competition, Liang's Double Phoenixes Facing the Sun, measuring 1 meter wide and 3 meters long and featuring two radiant phoenixes surrounded by pairs of colorful birds, lush greenery, and delicate butterflies, took the gold prize.

"I felt it put Miao painting on the map," Liang says.

Over the following five years, his work received recognition from scholars and experts around the country, among them Feng Jicai, a well-known Chinese author, artist and cultural scholar, who wrote that compared to Miao silverware and embroidery, Miao painting was radiant, exquisite and pure, captivating those fortunate to witness its beauty.

Tian Maojun, a professor at Hunan-based Jishou University, says that Liang's work carries the "freshness and sincerity of nature, unpolished, unaffected and free from artificiality".

These positive responses gave Liang the determination to continue to hone his skills.

He not only paints on cloth but has gradually started painting on Xuan paper as well.

His pieces are increasingly admired, attracting a growing number of collectors. He has also been invited to fine art exhibitions to demonstrate the art form's charm.