The Dai ethnic minority women who live in Nongmai Village in southwest China's Yunnan Province all possess a unique talent: carving ordinary fruits into elaborate art pieces.
Fruit carving is a centuries-old skill that Dai women have handed down from generation to generation. According to local fruit carving expert Mai Shuanquan, the original purpose of carving fruit was to pay respect to Buddha, as the vast majority of Dai are Buddhist.
The beauty of the carvings are all the more astonishing since the women do not prepare any drafts or rough cuts, using only their imaginations and small knives.
"While doing farm work, we memorize the shapes of beautiful flowers and plants," said Mai. "Then, later we carve them on to the fruits."
Despite the fact that more and more young women have left the village to work in cities, Mai still believes that the skill will live on.
"I only have apprentices at present," Mai said. "But for us who are religiously devout, fruit carving symbolizes our faith. We plan to declare fruit carving as a national intangible heritage, which will help to better protect the art."
Editor: MetalAllen
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