Jiang Zhen, a bamboo engraving artist, tells his stories with traditional craft works. [Photo/ qz123.com]

In Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, there is a bamboo engraving master who has been studying bamboo carving skills for 20 years and has created lifelike works on pieces of bamboo that are 0.1 millimeters (the thickness of one piece of A4 paper) bamboo.

Jiang Zhen often sits still for half a day in his studio, engrossed in the art of bamboo carving.

"My grandmother had a great influence on my career," Jiang said. "When I was a child, my grandmother went to a stream to wash clothes and picked up a bamboo pole and brought it back to me. This was the first time I came into contact with a bamboo engraving."

In a bid to improve his skills, Jiang often visits renowned bamboo engraving masters all over the country.

It is reported that in 2019, Jiang Zhen's bamboo engraving had been defined as an intangible cultural heritage by Kecheng district, and his carvings have been sold all over the country.