Carving out the revival of a lost art

Photo Provided To China Daily

He and his wife are frequently invited to demonstrate at temple fairs and exhibitions. Last year, he was invited to teach at primary and middle schools to inspire the next generation's interest in the traditional art, which was added to China's intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.

He has also tried to bring modern culture into the art, including Chinese and foreign cartoon characters in his work, and printing on shopping bags.

The Monkey King, the map of Middle-earth from The Lord of the Rings and popular Japanese cartoon and video game characters are also on his printing list.

His favorite piece of work is a QR code stamp that took three days to carve. He uses it on each print so that customers can scan it and reach him on WeChat.

Zhang never tires of sharing his work and traditional folk art on social media, posting several times a day.

He finished a rooster design before the Lunar New Year, and now is busy carving a portrait of Confucius.

His biggest wish is to hold an exhibition of his prints: "For a craftsman, being respected matters more than making money."