Chef showcases his paintings to the world

Liu is skilled at creating paintings using mud, and is particularly adept at capturing dynamic lines, dots and symbols. His unique artistic style is influenced by hand-made clay statuette ninigou from his home province Henan, a technique which has been listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage.

Liu's style of painting is popular among children's picture books. Since 2019, he has illustrated 25 children's picture books, some of which have reached readers in other countries like Singapore and Greece.

"I have always wanted to get more people to know the traditional art form of ninigou and our rich Chinese culture. It would be even better if foreigners could also know about it," Liu said.

Despite his busy schedule as a chef during the day, Liu finds solace and joy in painting during late evenings and early mornings.

"When people ask me whether I'm tired, I say I'm not. I'm very happy when I paint. Every line and dot in my eyes is alive. For me, painting brings immense joy and fulfillment." Liu said. "I will continue to paint, for as long as I can."