Wang Yanbao, an inheritor of the snuff bottle painting technique, created an artwork based on the three Shenzhou XIII mission crew members. The task was completed on April 16, the same day that the astronauts returned to Earth.

Wang spent 15 days sketching the portraits of the three space heroes using a curved hook pen in a snuff bottle with its mouth's diameter measuring just 12 millimeters.

"The sense of direction and control is the most difficult aspect about painting inside bottles. When you put the pen inside the bottle, the direction you see is inverted from the direction you draw by hand," explained Wang, who has been painting snuff bottles for over 20 years.

Now he has established a workshop at the Baihuazhou Traditional Handicraft Station in Jinan and trained his apprentices to promote the snuff bottle painting technique.

A snuff bottle painting created by Wang Yanbao features portraits of the Shenzhou XIII mission crew members. [Photo/Jinan Daily]

Wang Yanbao, an inheritor of snuff bottle painting [Photo/Jinan Daily]

Small and exquisite snuff bottles are on display at Wang's workshop. [Photo/Jinan Daily]