Sculptor Ren Zhe (center) introduces his works to artists Li Xiangqun (right) and Zeng Chenggang at the exhibition opening.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"Doing art is for me as essential as eating. I care little about what I eat, but every morning after I open my eyes, I think of my work, and about how to complete it, and then about the next piece of work I want to do.

"The studio is my home. I keep piling up the clay on the pedestal, sculpting it, adding things and taking things away. It feels close to the way a monk practices his faith. It is something I will repeat every day, and this way of life is what I consider as the basic requirement for a career artist."a