Ye Chen, a chef from Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province, uses chocolate cream to depict the picturesque spring views around Xiangshan Mountain, the city's most renowned tourist attraction. [Photo from WeChat account zjgcitynews]

Basking in the cozy afternoon sunshine, 22-year-old chef Ye Chen sat quietly at the corner of his restaurant in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province, concentrating on painting.

Different from paper and brush-based drawings, Ye's works were conceived using only a tube of chocolate cream and several porcelain plates.

This may seem a bit strange, but for Ye, the unique but novel artistic style has greatly enriched his daily life and let his imagination run wild.

From tourist attractions and architectural complexes to cartoon characters, Ye has skillfully turned what he saw and heard into a series of paintings.

The seemingly easy strokes require much skill and patience.

"Actually it's very hard to paint with chocolate cream," Ye said. "The bottleneck is too large so I can only count on plastic pastry bags, and sometimes I use toothpicks to create uneven colors."