Old skill gets modern twist

Styles of this handicraft are not limited to paintings. Some can be put up on the wall with a relief sculpture effect, others are made by using this craft on the surface of an object like a bottle or a plate and can be set on the table. Each work must go through at least nine processes before they are created. Silk is used as a major material, complemented with timber, sponge, paperboard and jewels.

According to Hao, Teng once told her that he hoped his works would please viewers as "old and skillful", which means that they also show traditional elements and techniques.

Born in a Manchu family in Fengning in 1932, Teng was good at drawing, weaving and other handwork from childhood.

"My grandfather said he especially liked painting and drew on any surface he could touch as a child. He was also able to weave mats, straw hats and small cages soon after he saw how other people made them," Hao says.

"He endured many difficulties as an adult. To earn a living, he went from his hometown to many places and did many jobs. Many of them were hard."

Teng was injured in a traffic accident in 1990 and had to take an early retirement. When he was recovering from his injuries, he made toys with some pieces of leftover silk for his grandson. The cloth work won praise from people around him and then he was invited to participate in a cultural exhibition in Chengde.