Xue Haitao's surrealistic oil painting, Dream Back to Dunhuang.[Photo/gs.chinanews.com]

Despite the tough conditions, Xue participated in the restoration of more than 190 murals.

In 2006, Xue got an opportunity to study painting in Russia, during which he created his own unique technique by combining Dunhuang's heavy colors with western oil paintings on the basis of the hue of Chinese meticulous painting. It shows a great manifestation in his works like Ode to the Yellow River. More works that show Xue's deep affection for China are Ode to the Great Wall and Spirit of China. Xue's other works that promote China's story and its landscape, such as Beautiful Rhododendron, even have been collected by a German art museum.

Xue Haitao (first from right) standing next to Mayor Karolina Brown of Dietfurt, Germany, points to his work in a book in January 2018. [Photo/gs.chinanews.com]