Nymph of the Luo River Reimagined and Portrayed in Picture Book

Li Yuehong

Ye Luying， a young artist born in 1992 and based in Hangzhou， was recognized at Frankfurt Book Fair in 2016 when her picture book titled  went into the collection of the International Youth Library （IYL） in Munich， a library that specializes in the collection of children and youth literature from around the world in order to make them available to the public， focusing on the international community. This library is the largest of its kind worldwide， and has been operating since June 1983， in Blutenburg Castle in the Munich district Obermenzing.

葉露盈现场展现绘画才艺。Ye Luying demonstrates her illustration artistry at an exhibition.

The book is based on a poetic fantasy written by Cao Zhi， （192 –232）， a prince of the state of Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China， and an accomplished poet in his time. Gu Kaizhi （348-409）， a great artist of the following Jin Dynasty， painted a famous painting based on the fantasy. The 6.4-meter-long painting scroll is now in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing. In January 2018， Ye appeared with her book of illustrations side by side with Gus masterwork in a sensational television series titled  produced by and screened on CCTV， Chinas biggest television network. In the episode， she discussed details of Gus masterpiece and her picture book. The audience found her narrative amazing.

Ye Luyings talent was recognized at a very younger age. While still a very young girl， she loved to draw and make up stories and showed a gift for making illustrations. She matriculated into China Academy of Art in 2010 with a top score and got a full scholarship for a graduate course. Long before her graduation， she had offers from more than ten publishers in China.

Her graduate student years at Oslo National Academy of the Arts made her eyes open to Nordic myths. She wondered what she could do about Chinese myths and fantasies. Her chance encounter with Gu Kaizhis masterpiece inspired her. She spent two years creating a series of illustrations based Caos poetic fantasy. Of the two years， she read up ancient Chinese classics for six months. The illustrations won her the much coveted Golden Dragon Award in Illustration， Chinas top honor for illustrators， and the Grand Prix of the Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators Award， both in 2016. Also in 2016 she won Cheltenham Illustration Award.

Then she was commissioned to partner with Yu Yeying， a writer and translator， to turn her illustrations into a picture book for children. She further improved her illustrations with the text adapted by Yu Yeying from the original fantasy.

What she said in the CCTV series is enlightening on her understanding of Chinese classics and her mission.

“The  is a tragic romance in the eyes of most people familiar with the fantasy. In my opinion， it embodies a complex of emotions. Cao Zhi had ambitions and dreams which came to nothing and his life was made wretched. The discrepancy between the beauty of his fantasy and the reality of his life is so shocking and huge that it hurts me. Solitude is an essential part of both art and life. Some critics say the masterpiece by Gu Kaizhi is the meta source code of Chinese aesthetics. If it is true， then the sense of solitude is a key part of that code，” commented Ye Luying.

“We are now in an amazing era when we can learn from history and from the world. At this phase of my life， I wish to continue this dialogue with the past and the future， enrich myself through studies and create more and better for the world，” said the ambitious artist.

Her picture book hit bookstores across the country in April 2018.