Chen Qian (below), says his horse symbolizes success and pursuit, and is appropriate for the occasion as 2014 is the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac. Provided to China Daily

A traditional Chinese painter is giving millions of Londoners a taste of one of the world's oldest art forms

Travelers on the London Underground are enjoying the luxury of seeing a masterpiece of Chinese traditional painting as they rush to their next destination. As the Year of the Horse is about to begin, posters showing the painting have just been put up at about 200 Underground stations across the city.

The painting, by 44-year-old British Chinese artist Chen Qian, features a galloping horse against the background of the Houses of Parliament.

"I wanted to present the horse as a depiction of us people, and the background as the environment we are in," Chen says. "As the horse is often linked to success in Chinese culture, I wanted to say that we are successful in our own environment."

The poster featuring Chen's painting advertises London's Chinese New Year celebrations in Trafalgar Square on Feb 2.

The daylong annual celebration, first held in 2002, is designed for the Chinese community to celebrate its traditions and for the British public to experience Chinese culture. It features activities such as Chinese lion dancing, singing and teaching simple Chinese phrases.

Chinese painting, which is done with a brush dipped in ink, is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world.

Despite being very different to Western art, Chinese painting has become more popular in the West in recent years. One example is the recent exhibition Masterpieces of Chinese Painting: 700-1900 at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which showed 70 works for three months.

Chen says the horse in his drawing symbolizes success and pursuit, and is appropriate for 2014, the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac.

Chen's horse is jumping, with forelegs folded and lifted high, as if it is galloping at full speed.

The painting was done with brown paint mixed with black ink. Some parts on the horse also have a layer of gold powder, a material commonly used in traditional Chinese painting.

The British Parliament is drawn in outline, using lightly colored ink, making it look as if it is in the far distance. The setting is as if the viewer is looking across the River Thames to the Houses of Parliament.

"The building is distinctly recognizable as a British landmark, but I have omitted the details in the architecture so that the focus of the painting can be on the horse," Chen says.

"I hope London Underground users will enjoy seeing this familiar sight, but recognize something unique in the artistic treatment."