What do you do with the rest of the fish once you're done eating the meat? You can do one Heilongjiang artist a favor by giving them to her. Using what other people throw away without a second thought, retiree Xin Yuqin shows that in the world of art, you can make something from nothing.

The idea of making pictures using fish bits first struck Xin Yuqin in March 2003, when the retiree discovered that a piece of fish scale somehow resembled a plum petal.

Leaving aside brush and paints, Xin took up scissors and glue as the tools of her art. Almost anything you can find from the body of a fish finds its way into her works. Right from the start, the ability to make reference to life has always been important. And it takes patience, as one painting usually requires a week to complete.

She said: "The fins are from a carp and a crucian. And this is a gill cover from a satin. This beetle was made from a goldfish gill cover, and I painted two dots on it."

Although not a great fan of fish meat, Xin has never been short of materials - neighbors, friends and relatives guarantee an ample supply. Look at the over fifty works of Xin's, and you know that you don't need to spend much to create beauty.

(CCTV June 18, 2004)