The maker of miniature worlds

"He'd call for a certain knife for specific patterns, and I had to guess which one he meant," he continues.

Wrong guesses earned him slaps on the wrist, an "effective" teaching method he said that helped imprint the names and uses of dozens of specialized blades onto his memory.

This stringent pedagogy extended to preparing materials, with young Guo soon learning that true mastery begins long before the carving starts. "Bamboo selection follows strict rules, and uses only winter-cut Moso bamboo from south-facing slopes that is at least four years old to ensure the correct density," he explains.

He says that the curing process is exacting — boiling the bamboo in herbal solutions for hours to prevent insect damage, then sun-drying it until the material turns a deep amber. There are some 50-odd steps that need to be taken before the bamboo is ready to be carved.

As he made inroads into the art, Guo gradually mastered the full spectrum of sculpting techniques, establishing himself as a pioneer in preserving and advancing Jiangxi's carving heritage.