Jin Jiansheng is pictured with one of his potted landscape artworks. [Photo/ zj.zjol.com.cn]

Jin Jiansheng, a 35-year-old potted landscape artist, recently went viral online because of the success he has achieved in changing careers.

Born and raised in Yongjia county, Zhejiang province, Jin moved to the Zhejiang city of Jinhua at the age of 16. Jin had been working for internet companies in Jinhua for many years until he fell seriously ill and needed to have a tumor removed from his chest in 2018.

This episode proved to be a sobering experiencing and Jin contemplated leaving his hectic job in the internet sector for the sake of his health.

He soon fell in love with potted landscape art after chancing upon a potted landscape garden in Jinhua's Jindong district. Before long, he started learning about landscape design and gardening and would often consult professional gardeners to improve his skills, which he practiced in gardens.

This hobby evolved into a profession in June 2019, when Jin established a workshop in Shanwang village in Jindong. Four months later, Jin completed his first potted landscape artwork named By the Nanxi River, which was inspired by his childhood in Yongjia's Yantou town.

This artwork eventually went on to win the gold prize in a county-level contest and a silver prize in a provincial-level contest. In November 2019, Jin won another gold prize at a potted landscape skills competition held by the Zhejiang government.