He Yunchang in his 72-hour-long performance called Longevity Nut in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

At the end of the performance, he told the audience and media gathered that it didn't matter how much weight he lost in the process.

The project reflects his ideas about immortality, according to the exhibition's curator Cui Cancan, who says He's body and the peanuts "symbolize the individual history of people ... and reveal how much one would sacrifice for what one believes in".

A video recording the whole performance will later join the rest of his works on the monthlong show A Chang, the title which his friends used to address him.

The show reviews his iconic projects since the 1990s, and traces the evolution of his understanding of performance art that has made him one of its most representative practitioners in China.

In his works, the artist keeps challenging his physical and psychological limits. Many of his projects may appear meaningless or crazy at first, but his endeavors critique elitism.

A lot of his performances are held outdoors. He says he likes the feeling of "merging" with nature through these practices at the risk of being hurt or falling sick.

A large screen at the exhibition projects videos recording Rock Tours around Great Britain, one of his most satisfying works.