A recent exhibition called "Science in Frames" at the Beijing Museum of Natural History put botanical illustrator Li Ai'li in the public eye. Her job is to record plants by painting them, archiving tens of thousands of plants in some 40 botanical books.

LI AILI BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATOR "These books on botany and zoology span about 50 years, from the first to the fourth generation. Here for the exhibition I selected pictures of six endangered plants drawn during the years from 2001 to 2005. "

"My name is Li Aili. I have been working for two decades as a botanical illustrator at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Botany. The need for making botanical books has almost gone, so no more than 20 persons are doing the same job like me all around China."

"Modern photography cannot totally take the place of botanical illustration. For example, many plants are too minute for a camera to capture every detail and can only be viewed under a microscope and sketched by an illustrator. I'm now working on the book 'Flora of the Pan-Himalayas'. There are more than 20 thousand different plants to record, so it's a big project."

"It takes careful observation. Usually we have to draw a plant in its living state based on a dry specimen. The work requires extreme attention and patience. But the product of our work lasts longer than a lot of other jobs and can be passed down from generation to generation.That's satisfying."

LI AILI BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATOR "Though my work load is relatively heavy, I try to find some time after work for my hobbies. I'm interested in the subject of psychological construction. Since 2016 I've taken part in an artistic therapy program for children with autism. I believe that art can channel out some negative sentiments and comfort the mind."

"The key issue for children with autism is to teach them how to connect with the world and live independently in society, so that their parents can rest assured when they're too old to take care of them. We're not really teaching them about painting, but more to improve their ability to interact with people and get along with society."

"The more time I spend with plants, the more I'm touched by their spirit and wisdom. They never complain about the environment. Instead, they always adapt themselves to suit it. Years ago I used to find things difficult and bewildering. Then I realized that it's because I was making demands from the environment. 'You should learn from plants', I told myself. I try to catch positive signals as they pass me. The strength keeps my inner world growing stronger and stronger whatever the climate outside."