A piece named Warm Winter from Yue Yunsheng's clay figurines. [Photo by Qin Fengjing/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

All of his creations are original and no two are identical. Yue said that he creates clay figurines purely out of interest and doesn't want it become a boring laborious work without any creativity. Therefore, 90% of his works are not for sale. These clay figurines are like his children, and to him every sale is upsetting, almost like losing a child.

As a representative inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage clay sculpture in Gansu, he actually taught himself the craft. He grew up in the countryside far away from the big city, and the primitive life there fostered his preference for living a simple and tranquil life. He says that he is satisfied with his life now, as he has enough time to make his favorite clay sculptures.