Artist produces traditional engravings on slate

Students learn Yingdiao, or hand-made shadow engraving, in Hezhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"With technological advancement, many machine-made shadow engravings have come to the market. But I don't think good work can be mass-produced," Zuo said.

He has stuck to his traditional manual art for 27 years and expects that one day he will pass his expertise along.

In 2022, Zuo taught shadow engraving at a primary school, and then at a junior high school, in Hezhou.

"Learning this skill can be hard because it requires patience and persistence. I'm glad to see that some students truly love shadow engraving, so I'm quite willing to teach them everything I know."