Editor's notes: Art majors are annually in the headlines. As university admission requirements are lower for them than non-art-majors, many view them as taking a short cut into further education. But little is known about their lives after graduation.

These graduate or postgraduate students from Changsha Normal University represent millions of art majors who still struggle six months after completing their courses.

Zhang Zhaohao, 25, a postgraduate student majoring in oil painting, lives in an apartment near the studio he works in. He pays 200 yuan ($32) a month for his home but does not earn a salary, wanting only to devote himself to drawing.[Photo/qq.com]