Arxan's natural bounty finds fresh fans

"Pine nuts were the most delicious childhood snacks," she says."My sister and I used to have snowball fights, but with pine cones."

For Fu, each pine cone is unique.

Across the seasons and the years, pine cones present in an array of colors, including pale yellow, golden yellow, light brown, and deep brown. Those that remain on the branch for more than two years undergo a gradual color transition, ranging from gray to black, she says.

Fu has been running a travel agency for 18 years. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, business took a severe hit. With plenty of free time, she began spending more time with her then 8-year-old son.

Together, they ventured into the mountains, where they listened to the soothing sounds of rustling pine trees, enjoyed the melodies of chirping birds, gathered wild berries, familiarized themselves with plant species, observed woodpeckers foraging for insects, and watched squirrels eating pine nuts.

"I noticed my son became more adept at finding beauty in the world around us, and for me, the anxiety brought on by the downturn in the tourism industry started to ease," she says.

In April, pieces of Fu's art were presented as gifts to diplomats from several African countries during the award ceremony for a China-Africa children's comic competition in Beijing.