Luo Guirong said the road less traveled is actually a shortcut to artistic success.

The creator of xylographic prints has over the past decades concentrated on a single subject - Islamic people and their life in his homeland, the Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

"I certainly keep an eye on what is going on in the contemporary art scene. But I will always hold fast to my favorite subjects because I know my people and my land better than many others do," Luo says.