Not so fast

Each year 20 finalists are sent to Leipziger Buchmesse for the judging of the world's most beautiful book. Stitching Up won a bronze medal in 2007, and Zhu won a special award in the same category in 2008 for his experimental photo collection Ants Whispering.

Like his peers, Zhu stays loyal to book content. In Zhu's own theory, the style of a book's cover should "naturally grow out of its own disposition".

He says he has followed the rule more strictly than his fellow designers. He's brave enough to discontinue a project at a financial loss when he can't capture a book's inner quality.

With many offers nowadays, the designer has become more choosy. He once believed "the more the better". Then he designed only good books, books that present an agreeable literary quality in themselves.

Now from a crowd of good books, he chooses only those that he feels he is able to design well.

That's financially risky, but that is offset by the university's support on house rental and a growing number of publishing houses that have become willing to pay more for better design.

With all the time saved, Zhu was dedicated to books of his own. The first, Ants Whispering, holds up an unflattering mirror to human society by featuring images Zhu took over seven days of a group of ants searching food, moving homes, mating and fighting.

It's followed by a pictorial book about the life of The Slowpoke Snail, his attempt to illuminate the elegant slow life. That same theme blossomed in his latest creation Kong Du, an array of photos Zhu took of one lake scene where light, wind, plants and animals staged a drama of time change over one day.

Growing up in the countryside of northern Jiangsu province, Zhu found his artistic sensitivity while using plants of different colors to make paints.

Now working in a yard surrounded by bamboo fences and planted with sponge gourds and green peppers, Zhu says he's proud of his connection with nature, and it will continue to serve as the theme of his creations. His upcoming image book will zoom-in on the lives of insects in his yard.

But it's more than a tribute to his childhood memories. The idea of Kong Du occurred almost as a life-changing moment when Zhu broke his leg last year and spent most of his days by a little pond observing the flow of time - in a rare opportunity to think about his own life. The resulting inkwork, reflecting Zhu's traditional painting background, conveys a sacred quietness.

"Life is too noisy and people barely hear themselves. They've abandoned themselves in a way. To gain your own time and space, you need to know how to refuse," he says.

Priced at 480 yuan ($80), only 1,000 copies of Kong Du were produced. During the book launch, Zhu dissuaded readers from buying it hastily.

"Hopefully the book can meet at least 1,000 people who truly appreciate calmly sitting down and thinking about their lives," he says.