Mehraz Karami poses for a photo in his workshop located in Shanbei village, Daixi town, Wuxing district, Huzhou. [Photo/hz66.com]

Iranian artist Mehraz Karami says that it was Huzhou's clear waters and lush mountains that drew him to stay and work as an independent rural artist.

Karami, who was born in Tehran in 1993, set up a painting workshop in Shanbei village, Daixi town, Huzhou, Zhejiang province at the end of 2017 after graduating from a school in Shanghai.

The decision was made after he was enthralled by the city's natural beauty on a trip to Daixi town with his then girlfriend in 2016.

Karami started to learn painting at the age of four and had shown an interest in Chinese culture ever since his childhood.

In the past few years, Karami has been immersed in creating artistic works in the 20-square-meter workshop, which is stockpiled with easels, paint, and newly created canvases, in Huzhou.

Mehraz Karami creates a painting in his workshop located in Shanbei village, Daixi town, Wuxing district, Huzhou. [Photo/hz66.com]

When he feels tired, he grabs a breath of fresh air at his front door, where the cold wind blows in from the mountains and boosts his creative inspiration.

Tea gardens, bamboo forests, and cottages are all featured in his paintings.

In 2020, the Iranian artist rented an empty house in Qianwu village, which is also in Daixi town, and after half a year's renovation, he moved to his new home along with his wife.

Karami said that he is now a new resident of Qianwu village, and his dream is in Daixi.

To date, his works have been displayed in places including Deqing county in Huzhou, and Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang.

Karami says that he plans to hold a large oil painting exhibition in Shanghai in the second half of this year in the hopes that more foreigners will visit and fall in love with Huzhou.