Xue Susu was an accomplished painter and poet who was particularly noted for her figure paintings, which included many Buddhist subjects.
16 Facts About Xue Susu
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Xue Susu's works are held in a number of museums both in China and elsewhere.
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Xue Susu lived in Eastern China, residing for most of her life in the Zhejiang and Jiangsu districts.
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Xue Susu spent her professional life in the Qinhuai pleasure quarter of Nanjing in the 1580s, where she became something of a celebrity among the literati and government officials who frequented the Jiaofang there.
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Xue Susu was highly selective in her clientele, accepting only learned and scholarly men as her lovers and declining to proffer her affections for mere financial gain.
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When Dong Qichang met Xue Susu, he was immediately attracted to her, and made a copy of the Heart Sutra for her, along with an inscription and postscript.
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Under the guidance of Dong Qichang, Xue Susu learned to paint landscapes, orchids, and bamboos with ease.
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Xue Susu had learned embroidery skills at an early age, and continued embroidering as she grew older.
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Xue Susu became known as a "Scholarly Woman of Ten Talents".
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Xue Susu was proficient in Go and is the only female chess player in the Ming Dynasty whose skill is documented.
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Enraged, Peng kept Xue Susu confined to his house for more than ten years before finally releasing her.
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Late in life, Xue Susu wanted to have children, but she was past child-bearing age, so this was impossible.
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Xue Susu had an inkstone called the Zhi Inkstone, kept in a highly-decorated box.
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Already an accomplished painter in her teenage years, Xue Susu was well known for her artistic talent.
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Xue Susu's work was considered similar to that of Chen Chun, who was an inspiration for many of her era.
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Xue Susu often exchanged poems and paintings with her clientele, receiving their own artworks in exchange.