She is not an artist, yet she may be one of the most professional amateur art aficionados you have ever met. For Chinese art lover Li Linyujie, life is a journey where art is along for company, enjoyment, comfort, and happiness.

Born in 1989 in Korla, a beautiful city in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Li is now the business manager of an upscale restaurant in Beijing. In charge of marketing, Li's work includes helping with wedding ceremonies and running the antique shop inside the restaurant.

Li said she felt a little pity that, as her love for art started at an early age, she'd always dreamed of making her hobby become a job and engaging in a career related to art. 

"But this kind of never-give-up enthusiasm has always been there, reminding me of going to view works of art all these years. It has become a good habit and is already part of my life," Li added.

Ticket stubs for art shows, printed posters of her favorite exhibitions, notes about particular art shows, and the journals Li posted online are tangible and intangible souvenirs that epitomize her artistic lifestyle.

Along the way, Li's enthusiasm for art has taken her to numerous museums and galleries at home and abroad.

Li's eyes lit up with joy when talking about the most impressive art exhibition she's ever visited.

"What impressed me most is the Dali exhibition I visited in Shanghai in 2009. I'm crazy about Dali, so I hit the road without hesitation. Of course, during the summer holiday. It was quite an experience because I'd read a lot about Dali's life and was curious about the artist, and looking forward to getting to know more about him. And the moment I saw his authentic works, words were completely inadequate to express my excitement," she recalled.

Now a mother of a 4-year-old girl and a younger boy, Li's exhibition-pursuing journey continues, with a diminutive fellow traveler joining in her new adventures.

"Many exhibitions are suitable for children as long as they behave themselves. Although she's too young to understand fully, I think it's a kind of artistic nurture. She'll gradually realize that there are many beautiful things in this world. A good influence. I just want to guide her to open her eyes to art," said Li.

Aside from the mother-and-daughter trip, Li would still embark on solo trips. 

The moment Li saw The Rainbow Series at the Yuan Art Museum, she was astounded by the authentic, saturated colors and extensive brushstrokes by Zhu Jinshi. Li became curious about the entangled and intertwined brushstrokes cut with horizontal, vertical, lifting, and slanting ones overlapping the picture vertically and horizontally.

As a dedicated museum-goer, Li seizes every opportunity to consult professionals whenever she meets abstracts; and she also keeps her habit of sharing her experience with others on her blog.

"I think this hobby I have developed over the years is also helpful to my work and life. And most of all, it is a particular space and a particular moment to balance my mind. To yearn for art and to be accompanied by art is a serious attitude towards life," noted Li while looking back on her journey.

Without a doubt, Li has found the most fascinating enjoyment without being an artist herself, because she lives her life in works of art.