Creative cowhide

Du Juan works on a cowhide thangka.

Yun says there are now more than 20 leather painting studios in Hohhot. Suluding, being the largest one, was listed as one of the autonomous region's 32 examples of cultural industry in 2012.

There are about 30 painters in Suluding, but in the recent years there hasn't been any new recruit. Some left the studio for better paying jobs.

Because of the lack of new blood, the paintings are limited to certain traditional themes. They include herding life on grasslands, Mongolian historic figures, and the legendary Wang Zhaojun, who married Huns' ruler in exchange for friendly relations with the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) and was later buried in Hohhot.

But some painters are exploring new themes. Du Juan, a 38-year-old painter has recently tried drawing thangka on leather to reflect Inner Mongolia's rich Tibetan Buddhism traditions. Dong has also experimented combining leather painting with Western oil painting styles.

"We will learn from the fashion industry to sign on contract designers to create more images that are suitable to be drawn on leather," Yun shares his vision. "There will also be more customized paintings. Maybe we can draw your photos on leather."

His ambitious dream also forces Yun to think more seriously about intellectual property rights.

"We can't revive leather painting through our own limited efforts. So, counterfeits are in someway considered a flattery. But, I will not hesitate to file lawsuits if the copycats are too reckless," Yun says with a smile.