Stamp of approval

Han's work can also be found among the collections of overseas institutions, including the British Museum, the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, Institut de France and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, among others.

Still, Han vows he has "a Chinese heart" despite his frequent travel and strong relationships overseas.

"Well, can you see anything exotic in my work?" he asks, smiling. "Everything is still made up of basic Chinese elements.

"I can drink foreign liquors, wear foreign suits or drive foreign cars. But my eyes are always black. Nothing can change that."

Choosing the Chinese zodiac as the topic of his new exhibition is "a humble student's way back and a report to the mother country's culture", Han says.