Artist shows garbage is not rubbish

In May, she went to the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province, to teach painting at the Siyuan Experimental School for a week as a volunteer teacher. The school has only one art teacher for its 49 classes.

Zhao's influence is not limited to China. Usually in her videos, she has few words and looks quite serious, but she has attracted more than 500,000 followers for her Instagram account which opened in January.

"With art, I understand the world; it heals my wounds and my grief is released and heard via painting; it enriches my love of nature and hope for the future and it rids me of superficial prejudices," Zhao states her ideas on her Sina Weibo account.

"Art empowers me to break bounds and go one better, and it opens my eyes to find more beauty around me. Meanwhile, my work also gets viewers inspired and offers comfort."

Zhao plans to go to Europe for a master's degree in fine arts and to keep reading, holding exhibitions and publishing new books. Last year she released a book that teaches beginners how to get started with oil painting.

"For an artist, the most satisfying work will always be the next," Zhao says with a smile.