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Hu Yinsong showcases his Asian Games-themed peach pit carvings. [Photo/tianmunews.com]

Hu Yinsong, a craftsman from Tongxiang, Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province, has been carving peach pit pieces for over 50 years.

As part of the first batch of representative inheritors of peach pit carving, an intangible cultural heritage item in Jiaxing, Hu used peach pits to carve out the mascots of the 19th Asian Games, Chenchen, Congcong and Lianlian, as well as the Chinese characters for “peach pit carving welcomes the Asian Games”.

Hu began to learn peach pit carving at the age of 15. Over the course of more than half a century, he has created thousands of peach pit carvings, including pendants, animals, objects, people and more.

Every time there is a major event in China, Hu always prepares meticulously and creates related artworks. The Beijing Olympics, the 14th Zhejiang Provincial Games, and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo have all been marked by Hu's unique carved artworks.

In addition to creating art, Hu has set up public welfare peach pit carving classes at cultural centers and elderly universities in recent years. He hopes that more people will learn about peach pit carving so that the craft can be passed down to future generations.