[Photo provided to China Daily]

Zhao lived in Africa from 1990 to 2015 and has collected more than 2,000 pieces of African art, which are stored in his warehouse in Shanghai.

"During my time in Africa, I was impressed by the African devotion to sculpture. They carve their works in the open, in temperatures of nearly 40 C wearing just a piece of cloth at the waist," says Zhao.

"They have no art schools or local teachers. All sculptures are based on their talent."

"Take the stone sculpture, The Thinker by Moder Zimbabwe. When compared with the famous bronze sculpture, The Thinker, by Auguste Rodin, this one demonstrates the rich imagination of African artists," he says.

"However, Chinese people know little about African art.

"I see my collection of African art as a chance to offer the Chinese an opportunity to learn about the art of Africa," says Zhao.