Carving out a career in restoration

Li Ziying dips a cotton swab in a glass of water, and carefully swipes it across the surface of a wood carving. Then she removes the cotton tip, dries it and puts it in a plastic bag.

The plastic bag is documented and archived, and Li, 22, sits down to go through the process once more.

Li is a senior student at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and works in a studio at the academy dedicated to restoring Chaozhou wood carvings.