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1920s: A girl with no dreams sees a future beyond her wildest imagination
The Painter from Shanghai
What you need to know before your trail
Pan Yuliang was a girl with no dreams. Her parents were taken from her at a young age, then her uncle sold her into prostitution; it was enough for many years just to cope and survive. One day, fate places a kind gentleman in her path, and she begins to discover the city outside the brothel and the world beyond China’s borders. As a larger canvas of life emerges, Pan realizes that she has something of value to say — and a talent through which she can express herself.
From Shanghai to Paris, Pan is challenged by the harsh realities in politics, art, and love, and must rely on her own strength to develop her talent. In so doing, she takes a relatively ordinary life and makes it extraordinary.
Locations
Reset- China - Shanghai
- A: Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts
- France- Paris
- B: National School of Fine Arts
- C: Montparnasse Cemetery
Travel Guide
Pan Yuliang
A work of fiction but based on the life and work of a real artist. This book transports readers to early-20th-century China, a culture marked by oppression. Epstein has proven herself a shining talent in this first novel, tackling such weighty questions as: How does a talented artist blossom, even under repressive conditions?
The answers form a mesmerizing portrait of one young woman’s journey to find herself and to nourish her creative talents despite appreciable odds.
Pan Yuliang was controversial for her nude paintings, including ones in which she used herself as a model.
In 1985, many of her works were returned to her native country, where they are held by the National Art Museum of China in Beijing and the Anhui Provincial Museum in Hefei.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: The Painter from Shanghai
Destination: Shanghai, Paris Author/Guide: Jennifer Epstein Departure Time: 1920s
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