Yi Yan, a 25-year-old native of Liuzhou, Guangxi, graduated from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in July 2021 with a major in illustration. His early works mostly involved traditional magical creatures, including the Western griffin, the phoenix, the divine dragon, and the Celestial Dog in ancient Chinese mythology.
As his experience grew, he began to "whimsy", combining the characteristics of animals and plants to create unique "fantasy creatures" Yiyan has accumulated more than 10,<> fans on major social platforms in China.