In April, Kang finished the dough sculptures of 108 characters from Outlaws of the Marsh after 16 months of work.

"I could only make the sculptures in my spare time after work," he said. "It took me around three days to finish each one."

Most of Kang's dough sculptures are traditional Chinese characters.

"Compared with expensive materials such as jade, dough sculptures are relatively cheap," he said. "In my mind, its real value as a national intangible cultural heritage lies in its connection with traditional Chinese culture. That's the charm and significance of the art.

"I also felt happy when I had a chance to give lectures to primary school students, telling them about dough sculpture and stories about Chinese folk heroes."