Direct, powerful

Feng's sentiments were echoed by Tian He, a film director living in Beijing who has opened an African handicrafts and art gallery. The Director's Art Shop bills itself as an African museum in Beijing showcasing the continent's art, and the diverse traditions and cultures of different tribes.

"African crafts intrigue me because they are not only unique, but simple, direct, and incredibly powerful," he said, adding African art is straightforward and childlike in its pureness.

Tian was a commercial video director at a Beijing financial company when he traveled to Africa in 2016 for the first time on a business trip and was enchanted by the aesthetic appeal of the handicrafts. On another business trip to Africa in 2017, he purchased dozens of handicraft pieces and brought them back to Beijing to add to his collection.

"Due to the limited space in my apartment, I eventually opened a Taobao store to sell the crafts I brought back from Africa," said Tian.

"They sold well, and I went to Africa again that year after I quit my job at the company. I purchased 1,000 handicraft pieces and imported them to China."

The first shipment of containers filled with handicrafts arrived in China within two months.

"Photography is my expertise," Tian said. "After I received the artworks, I set up a small studio in my living room to take photos of the handicrafts to promote them."

His Taobao shop quickly gained a lot of attention and a loyal customer base, with people in their 20s, 30s and 40s the main buyers.

"The exhibits on the wall in my shop have changed over the years. Overall, the shape of the artifacts near the entrance of the shop is more rounded, and a bit sharper on the store's inner side wall, and fiercer on the northwest side wall," he said, explaining that the arrangements are primarily based on aesthetics that appeal to Chinese people.

On many occasions, customers have bought products based on their emotional reactions to the artifacts.

For example, a mask of the Fang people from Gabon, West Africa, was sold because the buyer said its features reminded him of his occupation. A bronze sculpture from Cameroon in Central Africa was bought by a businessman for his company because it can be seen as an auspicious guardian deity.