Ma Shouzhen, known by her courtesy name Ma Xianglan and pen name Yuejiao, was a Chinese courtesan and artist born in Nanjing during the late Ming dynasty.
10 Facts About Ma Shouzhen
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Ma Shouzhen was a renowned painter, poet, and composer, receiving the name Xianglan because her most favored paintings were of orchids.
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At the age of 15, Ma Shouzhen formally assumed the position of a Yiji, or performing courtesan.
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Ma Shouzhen was known as a knight-errant, as she gave many gifts to young men and was cavalier with her money.
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Ma Shouzhen hosted parties on her multi-leveled house-boat with noted literati as her guests.
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Ma Shouzhen recounted that they met when Ma was sued by a young literatus for bad treatment, with the court clerk arriving to arrest Ma while Wang was visiting.
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Ma Shouzhen wrote letters to Wang begging him to visit her - which still survive - but it is unknown if he did.
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Ma Shouzhen's preferred painting surfaces include fans, hand-scrolls, and hanging scrolls.
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Ma Shouzhen funded Liang Chenyu's Hongxian nu in return for Liang writing poems for her.
10.
The "Shiqu Baoji Chubian" contains a fake copy of Ma Shouzhen's "Painted Orchid Scroll".