Xia Tiangong's work shown at the exhibition at the Shang Ba Art Gallery, Beijing, May 13, 2017. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Recently, the photographer met a landslide while taking photos of snow on a mountain, and the event was almost life-ending.

"At that dangerous moment, my only thought was that my death shouldn't come so early. It should not happen," Xia, who spoke to China Daily Website, said.

Art critic Rasko Radovic also said Xia's work was "painted with a camera instead of a brush".

"They make us realize 'typical' Chinese landscapes, from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and onward , which may appear to us as products of imagination, are, in fact, deeply rooted in reality from which they only take what is essential, something I myself discovered once on a visit to the Taishan Mountain," he said.