Together, they ventured into the mountains, where they listened to the soothing sounds of rustling pine trees, enjoyed the melodies of chirping birds, gathered wild berries, familiarized themselves with plant species, observed woodpeckers foraging for insects, and watched squirrels eating pine nuts.

"I noticed my son became more adept at finding beauty in the world around us, and for me, the anxiety brought on by the downturn in the tourism industry started to ease," she says.

In April, pieces of Fu's art were presented as gifts to diplomats from several African countries during the award ceremony for a China-Africa children's comic competition in Beijing.

Today, Fu has diversified business by launching a "forest art classroom", which combines travel with experiential learning. She takes students on one-day tours into the woods where she introduces them to the beauty of nature and the diversity of plant species, and helps them create art using collected pine cones and pine needles.