Chen Guorui, a 33-year-old man from a village in southeast China's Fujian Province, has revived a local handicraft that involves artworks made out of rice grains. This form of art had disappeared for nearly seven decades.
Chen is now the only representative inheritor. Originated in Gaolou Village, this folk art used to be an essential part of ancestor worship rituals dating back to the late Qing Dynasty (1636-1912).
One of Chen Guorui's works. /CFP
Majoring in a fine arts-related subject in college, Chen thought he had the responsibility to carry forward the tradition.
After reading related literature and practicing based on oral accounts from older generations, Chen started reproducing spectacular scenes of the once-famous ancestor worship rituals.
Chen Guorui creates a horse made of rice grains. /CFP
His works feature various subjects, including roosters, swans, and airy pavilions and pagodas.
It took him nearly a month to create a rooster with rice, during which he worked an average of eight hours a day.
(Cover: Chen Guorui creates a horse made of rice grains. /CFP)