Splendid straw-made miniatures(缩微模型) of classic ancient buildings decorate Xu Jian's home. They range from the Yellow Crane Tower to Forbidden City's turrets. They are all full of details and delicately crafted, tied and arranged by Xu's hands from countless sorghum straws(高粱杆).

The craft involves carving grooves(沟槽) into the sorghum straws, before multiple straws are locked together through those identically sized grooves, Xu says, adding that the sorghum straw art requires a great deal of patience, especially for works depicting ancient architecture.

Under the influence of his father Xu Yanfeng, Xu Jian got his hands on sorghum straws in childhood. He still vividly remember show his father would follow a film featuring scenes of Tiananmen Square and then note down all the details before creating a delicate miniature of it for over three years. The work was then sent to Japan for exhibition and collected by a local museum. Ever since, many of his father's works made their way to exhibitions at home and abroad.

Xu Jian became committed to the art after he reached 19, getting into the depth of the related techniques. "My father urged me to keep in mind traditional Chinese architectural skills and the history of traditional building protections, and to apply them to my own sorghum straw artworks," he says. Through hands-on guidance from his father, Xu Jian's skills became increasingly proficient. While inheriting the craftsmanship from his father, Xu Jian has produced his own creative works.

To date, Xu Jian's works have been exhibited in over 40 provincial and national-level exhibitions, earning numerous gold awards. To promote the art, Xu Jian joined hands with the School of Civil Engineering, Hebei University of Science and Technology, in 2013, and founded a sorghum straw carving and tying base where the art has been integrated with architectural courses to enhance students' thinking and practical skills.