In the early morning, Sun Zhicheng seats herself in front of the table at her studio, ready to start her work for the day.

She twists off the pigment lid with her teeth, dries the interior of a finger-sized bottle with a bulb blower under her chin, and uses a tiny brush to paint on the inner surface of the tiny container.

Sun, 33, is an inside-bottle painter in the city of Hengshui, north China's Hebei Province. Born paralyzed, she can only move her right hand.

It usually takes her several hours to paint inside a snuff bottle with the bottleneck roughly the size of a coin.

Snuff bottles were used by the Chinese during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to contain powdered tobacco. With delicate carvings on the surface or painting inside, snuff bottles are now popular as artifacts for collections.

Sun was born into a farmers' family in Jizhou District in Hengshui. Being confined at home due to her paralysis, she learned how to write by herself when she was a child, and even taught herself painting -- a gift she was born with.

In 2009, when she was told that some people with disabilities had managed to live on their own by painting in bottles, the then 22-year-old girl decided to have a try, dreaming of being self-dependent one day.

But her parents were not supportive. They believed that the inside-bottle painting was hard for even ordinary people, let alone for a disabled person like Sun.

"I knew my aging parents couldn't look after me my entire life, so I was determined to learn a skill to support myself," she said.

Being turned down in the beginning, Sun persisted and finally persuaded the enrollment personnel to take her in at an art school in Hengshui.

In the school, Sun tied her middle and ring fingers with a thin thread to hold the painting brush firmly like an ordinary person, and made use of her head, chin, and teeth for moves like opening the pigment lid. She practiced painting for more than 16 hours every day.

"I wanted to prove that I can support myself and make a life of value."

In August 2010, one of her works, painted with flowers and birds, won the third prize in the city's artwork exhibition, created by handicapped people.

Her works not only won the hearts of the judges but also helped her find her Mr. Right.

In 2012, while Sun continued her studies, Wang Shunxin, a migrant worker from Dezhou, Shandong Province, visited the school where Sun was studying.

"I saw a beautifully painted bottle and asked to meet the creator. And there she was, a pretty tiny figure sitting in a wheelchair, with her eyes filled with optimism and hope," Wang, 35, recalled.

They became friends in the following year, during which time Wang encountered misery in life and work, but was comforted and cheered by Sun.

When Wang made up his mind to profess his love and propose to her, Sun was panicked.

"I wasn't sure whether the fair-looking and healthy man came up with the decision in a rush," she said.

Their parents opposed the marriage as well. Wang's father did not understand why his son chose to marry a disabled girl, while Sun's mother was doubtful whether Wang was perseverant enough to take care of Sun for the rest of his life.

"Sun had been through many hardships, and as a man, I swore I would treat her well since I have chosen her," Wang said, adding that it was because of her that he had quit his habits of excessive drinking and playing around.

After they got married in 2014, the couple started selling inside-painted bottles. Wang looks after Sun, helps her while painting, and sells the bottles as a street vendor. The works are sold ranging from 200 yuan (29 U.S. dollars) to more than 100,000 yuan apiece.

With the help of the local government, Sun opened her own studio in May. They also created a livestreaming account to teach netizens how to paint in bottles, and share their life online.

"By telling our story, I hope more people can find beauty in life, and spread positive energy across society," Sun said. 

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