Former electric welder Liu Feifei, a post-80s youth in Xuzhou City, has built an animal kingdom of over 100 striking animal sculptures made using branches and twigs.

He became interested in the craft in 2019 after seeing a friend using a branch to make a hook. His first sculpture featured a stag made using more than 5,000 sticks. It became such a success that some friends visited him to take photos of the design, which gave him great confidence.

Liu said his parents are both farmers with a humble background, and as a child, he liked drawing, trees, and playing with mud. For Liu, bending ordinary tree parts into animal sculptures is like a dream come true.

"It's not easy to make small animals with branches, because this craft requires an understanding of drawing, animal body structure, and the properties of various branches," Liu said.

In addition, some wooden pieces will wear out due to insects or rotting and the sculpture may become loose after a period.

Liu's works include 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac cycle, as well as elephants, tigers, deer, hedgehogs, and the mascots of Beijing 2022 - Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon.

His most recent creation is about giant panda Ya Ya, who returned to China after spending 20 years on loan in the United States. It took him ten days and more than 3,000 twigs from apple trees to make the sculpture.

Liu hasn't planned to sell any of his creations. But he hopes to open an exhibition of the sculptures to promote the caring for nature and animal protection.