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.

A native son of Beijing, the 51-year-old was born in Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia, where he spent most of his life in the Hui ethnic neighborhoods.

"I have cherished a pleasant memory of my childhood playing with kids from various cultural and family backgrounds. I've never thought of myself as an outsider from Beijing," Luo recalls. "From an early age, I've yearned to express my feelings toward northwestern lifestyles through art."

Luo began his career as an artist with traditional Chinese ink painting. It was not until he enrolled in Ningxia University that he decided to expand his artistic horizons and entered the Department of Oil Painting.

With well-honed skills both in ink and oil art, Luo soon landed a job at a local TV station as a graphic artist upon his graduation in 1989.