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

In Rasko's eyes, he said Xia "extracted the very idea" of the sceneries and made them "more real than they are in reality".

Xia has also won applause from other professional artists, critics and photographers.

Zhu Xianmin, council member of the China Photographers Association, attended the opening ceremony, and praised the meaning conveyed in Xia's work.

"We are in an era of images, and anyone can take photos," he said.