A 79-year-old cancer survivor in Shanghai has discovered a profound purpose in life through oil painting, translating the rustic charm of her hometown into hundreds of paintings over the past decade and turning the village into a tourist attraction with her solo exhibition. Xu Fengying, a farmer in Linjia Village in Shanghai, shares the beauty of her village with the wider world by transferring paddy fields, flowers, pets and old village houses onto canvas, proving art is ageless. Xu was diagnosed with colon cancer when she was turning 70 in 2015. During her recovery, the diligent woman returned to work in the fields without telling her care providers. Unfortunately, this caused her abdominal wound to rupture and necessitated another surgery. Worried for her health, her family encouraged her to take up painting as a way to rest and recuperate peacefully. Chen had studied the art of traditional Chinese painting, but she decided to ask a friend to teach her mother oil painting, as it can be difficult for beginners to get started. Xu began creating her own works in the second year, and the art therapy gradually made her forget her illness and immerse herself in the joy of painting. Gradually, Xu's oil paintings drew more and more attention. With her daughter's help, she held a solo exhibition in the village. She is now dubbed "oil painting grandma" by her fellow villagers and tourists. Now, Xu is also serving as an oil painting teacher in the village, as her success has drawn interest in the hobby from other residents. Shotlist: Shanghai, China - Recent: 1. Courtyard; 2. Various of oil paintings created by Xu Fengying; 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Chen Junfang, daughter of Xu Fengying: "This is a painting of typical country landscape. So is the one we saw just now, with a boat dredging the river. But these flowers, she added them herself. So, my mother' got a beautiful soul, as you can see here, she always tries to add beautiful things to her paintings."; 4. Various of Xu painting lotuses; 5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Chen Junfang, daughter of Xu Fengying (partially overlaid with shot 6): "We let her begin by copying paintings. The method was actually very simple. We would print a painting on paper, fold it, divide the canvas into a nine-square grid, and then have her fill in the colors square by square. After two or three months, we removed the grid. And about a year later, she developed an unexpectedly good grasp and understanding of color application." [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]; 6. Various of Xu painting ducks in river [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]; 7. Various of oil paintings created by Xu Fengying; 8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Xu Fengying, painter: "I used to have this thought that after two surgeries, I only got very limited time left. Then I started painting, and the thought went away. My mind has been free of it all this time."; 9. Various of Xu introducing oil paintings to tourists; 10. Fruit tree; 11. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Ms. Dai, tourist (full name not given) (starting with shots 9-10, ending with shot 12): "I only saw the beauty of Linjia Village after I came here. I find it in what Grandma Xu put in her paintings, plus the tranquility and liveliness of the village."; 12. Various of paddy field; 13. Various of Xu painting paddy field; 14. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Xu Fengying, painter (ending with shot 15): "A lot of rural folks here have come to me to learn how to paint, and I'm very happy about this. Some children came and asked me 'Granny, next time I want to come and learn painting, will you teach me?' I said 'Sure, as long as you have time, I promise to teach you.'"; 15. Various of Xu painting village view. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]