Stuffed animals are great for children, but have you ever considered them works of art? One Chinese artist is changing the way people think about these "toys."

The pieces come from Teng Teng, an artist who was originally just trying to entertain his grandkids. He first created the pictures in 1989 as a way of telling traditional Chinese stories. Today it's the source of livelihood.

The stuffed dragons are sewed with silk, and individually stitched onto backgrounds.

The stuffed dragons are sewed with silk, and individually stitched onto backgrounds.

Teng Teng said, "I was inspired by the traditional applique art of Manchus. They use fur or cotton as filling to make stuffed trinkets, and stitch them to clothes, hats and shoes."

The stuffed dragons are sewed with silk, and individually stitched onto backgrounds.

Patterns are first laid out on thick paper before being trimmed and fitted into the shape of dragons. It's much harder work than it seems, but Mr Teng has published a beginners guidebook so that would-be craftsmen can get instruction from the creator himself. He has high hopes for its future.

Teng Teng said, "It's a recent creation with only about twenty years history, but we draw inspiration from tradition and pay our respect. I hope more people find it interesting and join us in spreading the art."

He hopes the pictures will someday be inseparable from other traditions tied to the dragon. Mr Teng's work can be seen on exhibition in a museum in Hebei Province exclusively dedicated to his art.