In a sunlit studio in the Xuanhua district of Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, the air smells faintly of burned wood.

Guo Chunlei leans over a golden gourd. The tiny hot-tip soldering iron in his hand dances across the gourd's surface — not burning but coaxing. The image of a powerful horse comes to life through the ancient art of gourd pyrography, which uses heat to etch the surface.

This year is the Year of the Horse according to the Chinese zodiac.

"It's all about the shading," Guo said. "You adjust the heat to create light, shadow, and emotion."

For more than 30 years, this has been his passion — an artistic journey that began in 1993 in Beijing, where a chance encounter with a piece of rough pyrography captivated him. "I wanted to bring the paintings I loved to life on gourds," he said.

His first tool was a heavy soldering iron meant for sealing iron woks for cooking. It was a humble start that became a lifelong love.