The lava of an insect. [Photo/Chutian Metropolitan Daily]

Zhao said that most of the insects he kept were released into the wild after becoming adult because "every life should be respected."

If an insect dies, Zhao makes it into a specimen using his expertise.

"Though some insects have short lives, they still show their beauty as much as possible," he said. To keep track of the beautiful creatures, Zhao records the growth, transformation, hatching and other stages in their lives. He also publishes logs and pictures about the insects on QQ zone, a popular social media platform.

During nearly four years, Zhao has kept more than 10,000 insects in his dormitory. "I have once bought online a kilogram of yellow mealworms, which is about 5,000 of them," Zhao said.

Even people around Zhao fell in love with the bugs under his influence.

Han Shujing, one of his classmates, used to be scared of worms, but intrigued by the beautiful butterfly specimens in Zhao's room, she started exploring the world of insects. The girl developed into much of a "butterfly expert" who has kept more than 100 of them.

"It takes roughly a month for an egg to grow into a butterfly, and we take care of it three times a day. When it is time to release them, it is so hard to let them go," Han said.

To continue his study into insects, Zhao is preparing to apply for coleoptera major – which studies all kinds of beetles – in the post-graduate entrance exam. Despite his busy schedule, he still keeps several Chinese yellow swallowtails and yellow mealworms in the dormitory.