For the joy of creation

The increasing popularity of the annual Hobbycraft Expo shows that people are relishing the chance to get hands on and craft their own works of art, Zhang Kun reports.

Despite the onset of a cold front that sent temperatures plunging down to near freezing, the reception for the last edition of the Shanghai International Hobbycraft Expo was the complete opposite.

According to the organizers, the event at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition& Convention Center in December attracted 300 companies, institutions and studios from 15 countries and regions, and on Dec 8 alone was attended by more than 78,000 people, nearly twice the amount of the inaugural edition in 2015.