[Photo provided to China Daily]

The 35-year-old mainly creates limited editions of his pieces, often 30 to 50 in a particular style.

"I prefer to be called an artist. These toys are my artistic exploration," said Zhang, who learned to paint when he was a child.

He said he loves to find inspiration from Chinese culture. His iconic piece is a three-eyed, human-like tiger. Different editions have been produced in a variety of colors, heads and hands. The tiger was inspired by a painting from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) that depicted various demons.

A limited edition of five designed by Zhang for the Beijing Toy Show, priced at 4,800 yuan, sold out quickly. "I think Chinese toy buyers are a little bit crazy," he said.

Zhang said buyers also love to trade toys on social networks, adding, "They have online chat rooms to show off and exchange them."