Traditional art depicts modern industry

Since retiring in 2021, Song Limei has devoted herself to the cultural heritage of wheat-straw painting, and has brought it to more people.

Song, a 54-year-old retired oilfield worker in Daqing, Heilongjiang province, has created over 300 wheat-straw paintings, including a group of distinctive works depicting scenes from the oilfields and evoking the memory of generations of oilfield workers.

Song had a memory of wheat-straw painting going back to when she was only 10 years old.

"It was my mother who happened to discover an artwork while tidying up at home," she recalled.