Miniature landscapes and paintings on wood are among some 150 works of art created using trees damaged by Typhoon Meranti after the storm landed in east China's Xiamen City in September.
They are the result of a student-led campaign to turn fallen trees into works of art. Pictures of the art went viral on Chinese social media this week.
An online auction of the student art is expected to be held next week, and preparations for an online shop to sell wooden crafts are under way, according to Huang Yuxia, deputy party chief of the architecture school of Xiamen University and one of the campaign's coordinators.
"The revenue will be donated to the university," said Huang.
The school will keep some of the art, such as the paintings on planks, she said.
Lu Wenjin, organizer of the campaign, graduated from the university's architecture school this summer. He rushed back to campus the day after Typhoon Meranti hit the city, only to see a pile of fallen trees.
Typhoon Meranti, the strongest typhoon to hit China this year, left 28 people dead and 15 others missing in Fujian and Zhejiang after making landfall in Xiamen, Fujian on September 15.
It caused chaos in the city by disrupting power supply to 620,000 households.
Upset by the scene on campus, Lu was struck by the idea of "renascence" -- bringing life back to the damaged trees.
He posted on social media calling on fellow students to join his campaign to make art from the fallen wood.
More than 200 students from the university joined the campaign.
"I was very surprised that students were so enthusiastic about the activity," Lu said.
Volunteers were then divided into 20 groups, and each group has at least one member with an architecture or art background.
On Sept. 20, the groups began brainstorming draft plans. As the campaign went on, the university's architecture school helped with money to pay for tools, transporting the wood, rough machining and exhibition of the art.
Lin Qiuda, chief architect at Xiamen Hordor Design Group, was invited to give advice about students' work. "Students showed their ingenuity in design, and I helped them solve problems in creating the art," said Lin.
"The campaign was a brave experiment to bring theory and practice together," he said.
The exhibition on campus, named "Renascence," has attracted thousands of teachers, students and tourists.
One of the pieces, "Moon Night," is a lighting installation featuring a moon-shaped light hanging from a branch, which is connected to a saucer made from a broken tree trunk.
It was created by a group led by Wang Xiaoqi, a sophomore at the university's college of art.
"I am glad to see our ideas turned into real works of art and that we did our part in the restoration of the campus," said Wang.
For Lu, the campaign itself has been a gift.
"I thought the campaign was my little farewell present to my alma mater, but it has turned out to a big gift to me from the university, since so many schoolmates and teachers joined me," he said.
