DIY projects entice many to pick up

Meaningful experience

Liu recalled the process of doing the 10 paintings. "It was a very warm and meaningful experience," she said.

When Liu was drawing an Australian city that she and her boyfriend had visited, she spent five hours just drawing the clouds.

"You might spend a lot of time drawing a simple thing and getting frustrated," she said. "So the teachers encouraged me to express my feelings and emotions.

The last piece she painted - the first couple photo they took together - was also the most difficult one to do.

"I observed my boyfriend closely and carefully - his eyebrows, corners of his eyes, the clothes he wore and even his back," she said. "I had never done that before in real life. It was a wonderful experience I didn't expect before I started the painting project."

When Liu finished painting all 10 pictures, her boyfriend wrote the captions for them.

The couple brought the paintings to their wedding ceremony at their hometown in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in 2017, and they also displayed them at their wedding party in Beijing with 20 friends in attendance.

During the party, all the guests were invited to paint coasters under the guidance of Liu's painting teacher and they were given to the couple as gifts embodying their well wishes.

The painting session at the wedding was an unforgettable memory for the couple and also for the guests.

Xing, the DIY program manager, said: "Artworks are not far away. They are real and practical in our daily lives. When you have tried it, you will have a deeper understanding of the things around you.

"The fast paced working life in cities makes us nervous. But making handicrafts calms you down to feel the pace of life and you can put your feelings into your artwork."

Liu said: "The painting experience makes memories deeper. I even liked the creases left on the paintings due to transportation, because they feel so real."