Artist blends kids' outlook with his own

Illustrator and writer Xiong Liang has just returned from Shuhe, Yunnan province, where he spent a week as a volunteer teacher at a local school. It was his first time teaching children younger than 10 how to paint.

Xiong first listened closely to the restless noise his temporary pupils made as they prepared for the painting class, a break from the strict school routine. Then with great patience and some games he came up with on the spot, he calmed the students. The classroom was filled with laughter by the time the class ended.

A self-professed former "wild child" and still a child at heart today, in recent years Xiong has been seeking the best way to combine drawing and education.