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Wan Yuefei, an inheritor of egg carving — an intangible cultural heritage item in Haiyan county, Jiaxing – can turn fragile eggshells into exquisite paintings with just a knife.

With the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 arriving in 30 days, he carved the three Asian Games mascots, "Congcong", "Lianlian", and "Chenchen", on eggshells to express his excitement for the event.

He said, "I want to show the resonance between art and sports and pay tribute to the Asian Games and Asian Para Games through my craft."

His studio is full of tools and equipment, and he often carves all night when he is inspired. "The eggshell for the mascot is just 0.3 millimeters thick, so I have to be very careful until the last cut."

His son Wan Shihao also inherited his father's craft and became a leaf carving artist. "We can't go to the Asian Games venue, but we can use leaf carving to convey the spirit of turning decay into magic," he said.

The father and son have made more than a thousand pieces egg and leaf carvings, depicting Olympic champions, historical figures, and calligraphy works. They also teach their craft in local communities to promote the art form and convey the spirit of the Asian Games.

Leaf carving works featuring Asian Games mascots. [Photo/jiaxingren.com]

An egg carving featuring the Asian Games mascot. [Photo/jiaxingren.com]