Interest blooms in glass flowers

He charges 199 yuan ($27) for a one-hour session, and the five-day tutorial courses cost 3,900 yuan for each person. He says he makes sure no one will leave "empty-handed" after they sign up for the courses.

"For the one-hour session, we need to stay right beside our customers to guide them and make sure they are safe. In cases where they are not adept at it, we will make one for them, so they can still take something home," he says.

Dealing with a torch and flames is hazardous. One time, he nodded off while making a flower late at night, and the flame scorched his thumb, He recalls.

The five-day training session is more like a "boot camp" as He and his colleagues need to make sure the customers learn all the basic techniques, he says. If they are slow learners, they will need to work extra late, he adds.

Thanks to the novelty of lampwork glass and the power of social media, there is a large number of inquiries for the flowers made by He and his colleagues, and the store is already making a profit.

Simple flowers usually cost several hundred yuan, and the more complicated and intricate ones can cost several thousand.

Also, as certain parts of the more complicated flowers are very thin and delicate, it is impossible for them to be delivered through express delivery. Therefore, he asks his customers to come to Changsha and collect them, he says.

All flowers are unique, as it is impossible to do a replica of one even if he wanted to, he says.

"The prices are relatively lower than the market average as we are only starting our business and most of our buyers are young people and students," he says.

"However, as we become more sophisticated and well-known, and the quality of our work improves, the prices might go up, as it is difficult to put a price on art."

He says he first decided to open the store in April and found a suitable four-story apartment, which was a complete mess. It took them about a month to refurbish it.

He says that he tends to be patient and is not easily irritated, and it is impossible to make any Chinese art without patience.