Bamboo weaver is out of this world

"Creative and appealing handicrafts are paramount in modern times. For example, youngsters are more likely to be interested in a mobile phone case made of bamboo strips, rather than a traditional basket."

He says that some old items are destined to be obsolete, but craftspeople can change the designs to create art. He often creates novel handicrafts as well. He's now working on a bamboo miniature of China's third aircraft carrier, the CNS Fujian.

At his studio in Wuyi Mountain scenic area, visitors can learn how to make earrings, bracelets, or bags from bamboo, as well as buy some innovative handicrafts.

Xie studied crafts and fine arts at a local occupational middle school and learned bamboo carving for more than a year after graduating in 2003.

"I found that bamboo weaving is all-embracing, meaning that, with an infinite imagination, you can make anything. So, I decided to study this handicraft," he says.

In 2006, he started to learn bamboo weaving from a senior master living in a remote area of Sichuan province. As his parents didn't support him, he packed a case and ran away from home, taking a train on his first long-distance journey.

"I dared not contact my parents during festivals. I was depressed in what to me was a strange place, and urged myself to study hard," he recalls.

He got up at 6 am and went to sleep at midnight and rarely had a break before finishing his one-year apprenticeship.