Lin Dihuan, an amateur painter and photographer, says he does not regret doing jobs not connected with his college major.[Photo provided to China Daily]

For the multitalented Lin Dihuan, life is not fully lived if you do only one thing or have just one career. Liu Xiangrui reports.

Though not a professional artist, Lin Dihuan is wildly popular as a painter, thanks to his works such as a series of ink-and-brush paintings dedicated to the Chinese 24 Solar Terms as well as two series of stage settings tailored-made for the phenomenal TV show Rendezvous With Chinese Poetry.

The 43-year-old teaches communication and design at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province.

Lin, a Guangdong native, became a celebrity after his 24 Solar Terms work was chosen as the illustration for the UNESCO heritage listing application.

His illustrations play an important role in getting the 24 Solar Terms－a treasure trove of knowledge developed through years of observing the sun's annual movements－added to UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in November 2016.