Photos are created by Chen Xin out of her imagination of the exotic mythical creatures and characters depicted in the Book of Mountains and Seas, a classic compendium of Chinese mythology.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"I'll try whatever it takes to achieve the ideal effect, as long as I can cover the costs and dedicate the time," explains Chen, who also spent a great deal of time editing the photos on her computer to achieve her vision.

So far, Chen has finished 18 sets of photos at a cost of more than 80,000 yuan ($12,500), with the longest picture taking an entire month to complete.

She and her team traveled to various locations around the country to find the ideal backdrops－from deserts to mountains and snowfields. According to Chen, there were often uncontrollable conditions, such as weather and the environment, during the process of shooting, so the team needed to adjust accordingly.

"The good thing is," Chen notes, "we often came up with new ideas when implementing the changes." Which is what happened when they were shooting the images of Bifang, a legendary bird. Chen spotted some dry grape vines next to the shoot's site and immediately decided to build a big bird's nest.

"There is a little interesting story behind every photographing session," she says.