"The beauty of Tibet is as graceful as the luster of jade, simple and unfeigned," says Nan Haiyan, an artist whose work is inspired by the region.

Nan has visited Tibet many times. During his stays he explores the streets and lanes of Lhasa or cycles through villages, and creates sketches and paintings based on the scenery he sees and tales he hears.

"I love Tibet's culture, including its religions, folklore and rituals. I feel I have a special attachment to ordinary people here. I'm often inspired by their creations such as sculptures, costumes, architecture, songs and dances," Nan says.

Over the past 50 years tremendous changes have occurred in Tibet.

"I want to do something to enable our offspring to see Tibet's culture more vividly, other than just ask them to visit museums," says Nan.

Nan's paintings feature nomadic Tibetans engaged in their daily activities against the harsh, mountainous terrain that has defined their civilisation.

Nan describes Tibet as a land at the peak of the world. In his work he tries to capture the people who are an integral part of this awesome land.

In his paintings, you see Tibetans as individuals, carrying water, herding sheep, hunting, cooking, watching and thinking.

He specialises in depicting human figures. To gain inspiration from local life and people, he frequently travels to and lives in west China, especially Tibet.

Born in Pingyuan county, Shandong province in 1962, Nan is now a top Chinese painter. His works have caused a stir in Chinese artistic and literary circles.

As well as working for the Beijing Art Academy, Nan is a member of the China Artists Association and a visiting professor of China Central Academy of Fine Arts.

The Beijing Art Academy, established in May 1957 with the support of former Premier Zhou Enlai, was China's first, and until recent times the largest, professional art academy.

Nan joined the Wang Mingming Workshop of Beijing Art Academy in 1994 and received instruction from such well-known artists as Lu Chen, Zhou Sicong and Yao Youduo.

Nan's art works have won a series of awards both domestically and overseas.

At the age of only 27, he received the Most Promising Award at a contest jointly held by organisations in the Chinese mainland, Taiwan province and Hong Kong special administrative region.

Due to his distinctive and compelling work, Nan has frequently been invited to participate in exhibitions and events.

He has also presented personal exhibitions on both the mainland and in Taiwan.

While traditional Chinese painting still has an important place in the life of modern Chinese, many painters now express these new times in new ways.

By combining modern expression with traditional Chinese painting techniques, they are opening up an unexplored world of artistic expression. Nan is clearly one of them.

Art critics have categorised his work as from the 'realism school', but Nan says he does not define it as realism or modernism.

"I am painting in the pursuit of expressing my mind and heart," he says.