Youthful inheritors

As her skills continue to improve, Zhang says she feels an increasing urge to promote the art to a broader audience.

Since she was granted the status of an inheritor, she has formed partnerships with local schools to teach the art on campus and developed learning tours for visitors to appreciate its charm.

"Many students have shown great interest in learning about the art and they have been committed to the process," Zhang notes.

She just completed a yearlong training with 20 primary school pupils in Xi'an in late June.

Alongside teaching technical skills, Zhang inspired them to unleash their creativity by experimenting with color combinations and designing patterns.

Zhang has also received invitations to showcase her creations at social communities, major automobile companies and insurance firms that have sought her expertise for team-building activities and customer experiences.

To date, Zhang has more than 20 disciples who have followed her in pursuit of the art for many years.

Li Xinyu, 23, began learning from Zhang in 2019.

"I was stunned by its creation process and beauty at the first sight," says Li, a Xi'an native.

She has grasped the basic skills and can independently pull off simple works.

"It is an art that requires long-term accumulation and continuous innovation. I am still learning and improving," Li says.

She says she has been inspired by Zhang's focus on details, patience in fine-tuning students' skills and support for innovation.

"Now, tangliucai is more like a form of art therapy for me since it brings peace to my mind and teaches me how to deal with details and draw experiences from failure," Li says.

The rising popularity of tangliucai has convinced Zhang that giving the audience a sense of participation and achievement is key to carrying the art forward.

"Young people value special customization and the feeling of uniqueness. They might give a scarf to their girlfriend, a hat or a pair of sneakers to a good friend. So, I leverage this mindset to apply tangliucai to more media that are close to their hearts," Zhang says.

To date, derivatives carrying the water-printing elements have covered ceramics, scarves, tote bags, shoes and hats.

"I love the splendid colors of tangliucai, but what I love the most is the smile on the faces of my students when they complete a painting," Zhang says.