Ying Hongwei, a 39-year-old businessman in Pan'an county of Jinhua, Zhejiang province, shows his collection of Peking Opera masks on eggshell. [Photo/zjol.com]

They say one man's trash is another man's treasure. Although thousands of eggs are consumed by people every day, not many of the shells are noticed before being dumped into trash cans.

Ying Hongwei, a 39-year-old businessman in Pan'an county of Jinhua, Zhejiang province, found eggshells to be the perfect canvas for his painting. Over the past 18 years, he has painted more than 500 Peking Opera masks on eggshell and has developed the technique into a unique craft.

"The first step is to get the perfect eggshell," Ying smiles when recalling the beginnings of his eggshell painting, "At that time I ate so many eggs every day that I almost threw up."

That was 1998, when Ying graduated from college and saw someone paint on ostrich eggs on TV. "Obviously ostrich eggs are not something you can find in some grocery shops in town," says Ying. He chose eggshell as a replacement for painting. To acquire a clean and complete eggshell, he pokes a small hole in the egg and leads the albumen out of the shell using a straw.

To acquire enough eggshells for his creations, Ying even offered to whisk eggs for restaurants in the neighborhood for free if the owners would let him take away the shells.

"The real challenge is the strength you should use when painting on eggshell," Ying introduces his understanding about the craft, "the eggshell breaks up easily, even if I just use a little bit stronger force than I should."

To complete a Peking Opera mask on the eggshell, Ying will draw the outline on the shell first before filling in colors with brush pens. After the color dries, Ying will wax the eggshell as a final step. The whole process often takes five to six hours.

His works are all carefully stored, wrapped in sponge. "I never sell any of the eggshell masks, but I draw them for my friends for free," says Ying, "I do this for a better spiritual life."

All of Ying Hongwei's works are carefully stored and wrapped in sponge. [Photo/zjol.com]