Xu Dengyong, 37, first noticed balloon art on an online variety show in 2013, where a guest appeared in an outfit made entirely of woven balloons. At the time, Xu was an engineer at an electronics factory in Guangdong province, living a stable life.
He never imagined that balloons — which he then saw as little more than "children's toys" — would one day become the foundation of his business.
Originally from Nanzhang county, Hubei province, Xu had spent years in manufacturing before changing careers. His factory years left him with a disciplined approach to problems: standardized processes, attention to detail, cost control and safety calculations.
In 2013, Xu invested his savings of 30,000 yuan in a monthlong balloon modeling course in Henan province. Back home, he opened a balloon decoration shop.
A turning point came in 2015, when he began targeting shopping malls and large commercial events. But potential clients all asked the same question: How long would the balloons last?
Xu had no good answer. Balloon techniques were still crude, and indoor installations typically lasted no more than a week. For malls investing in displays built from tens of thousands of balloons, that wasn't good enough.
Air leakage was the obstacle. Inflating latex balloons stretches the material, reducing its density and letting air gradually escape. Unless that could be solved, large-scale commercial installations would be difficult to maintain.
Xu approached the challenge like an engineer. First, he refined the knotting technique to reduce air leakage. Then he began placing one balloon inside another, so that the inner balloon would remain intact even if the outer one burst.
His most time-consuming breakthrough came from adhesive coatings. Over six months, he tested more than 10 types of glue before finding one that formed a flexible protective film along the inner wall of a balloon, slowing air loss without damaging the material.
Later, inspired by car waxing and facial skincare, Xu developed an oil-coating process for the balloon surface, further extending its durability. Today, his balloon installations can last indoors for up to three months, and as long as six months in winter.
These improvements transformed balloons from short-lived decorations into commercially viable products. In 2019, one of his large-scale works won top honors at an industry balloon art competition. "That award gave me a new level of confidence," he said. "No matter how large the order or how complex the design, I knew I could handle it."
The award convinced him that balloon art could be a serious profession rather than a novelty. Bigger commissions followed: in 2023, a 10-meter-tall balloon cake he designed was commissioned by nearly 30 supermarkets and shopping malls across China.
In recent years, his focus has widened from building installations himself to helping others enter the industry. Since 2024, he has recorded balloon modeling tutorials and offered free training, online and in person. More than 4,000 people have taken his courses.
Many wonder why he teaches people who may one day become his competitors. "The industry is too fragmented," Xu said. "Unlike makeup or floral design, balloon art has no formal training system and no shared standards. I hope to help the industry grow together so it can gain wider recognition."
More than a decade after watching balloon art on a variety show for the first time, Xu no longer sees balloons as children's toys. Through technical innovation and an engineer's mindset, he has turned them into durable commercial products.