An award-winning young artist from the coastal city of Zhanjiang, Guangdong province is self-funding the building of a free art gallery to promote local creative talents and the area's folk artists.

Xiao Zhipeng, 26, winner of the recent tourism products design competition held in Zhanjiang on March 29, has gathered a team together and is in the process of setting up the Dapeng Art Gallery.

Located on Zhanjiang's Techeng Island, a tranquil place famous for its pristine ecological environment, the gallery has been entirely self-funded by Xiao and is being built by a team of local students.

The gallery is expected to house dozens of works of arts and crafts as well as award-winning pieces created by Zhanjiang folk artists, including ink drawings on shells, clay sculptures and sand paintings, according to Wen Zhenqing, a member of Xiao's team.

The idea for the gallery came to Xiao after he visited the China Marine Economy Expo last November and the tourist products design competition in March, and was surprised by the diversity of local craft arts in Zhanjiang. The creativity and skill on display spurned him on to help spread the city's talents to a wider audience.

From finding the perfect location to selecting lighting, Xiao invested heavily in the gallery and installed most of the facilities himself with the help of his team.

"Our gallery is still in arrangement and we welcome more local folk craft arts to settle here. We hope more people gain better insight into the city's artists and local customs," said Xiao.

Xiao has been passionate about folk art since childhood, when he first discovered the joy of ink drawings. From that point on Xiao spent a lot of time in the local library, teaching himself the craft and studying the works of artists throughout history.

After almost ten years of study, Xiao's hard work paid off and he made a name for himself after claiming gold at the Fifth Ou Yangxun Award National Painting and Calligraphy Competition in May 2009.

As of now, Xiao and his team have created more than 600 ink drawing works, of which some 200 are drawn on shells.

"I'm a dream chaser and I will develop more works with my own style. Based on Zhanjiang culture, we have decided to blaze a new trail in the cultural industry and create more amazing works," said Xiao.

He also revealed that his team will host some activities to promote art exchanges among local artists and provide a better environment for art creation.

The Dapeng Art Gallery is located on the lush Techeng Island in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province. [Photo/yinsha.com]