Artist Li Hongbo stretches his paper statue Roman Youth, part of his signature Tools of Study series, at the Today Art Museum in Beijing on July 15, 2020. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A Tribute to Tradition, a touring exhibition on contemporary paper art, has wowed local visitors while drawing mixed views from academics.

"I was taken aback when I saw artist Li Hongbo stretching the bust of Roman Youth and making it move!" said Song Nan, a visitor to the show's Beijing leg. "The showpiece had only looked like a plaster statue to me."

Inspired by the craft of paper gourds, a type of folk art decoration Chinese people use to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, Li glued thousands of layers of paper together and articulated them in a way that allows the whole statue to move like an accordion.