New picture book tells story of folk legend

The 28-year-old says young and capable women with strong characters will identify themselves with Mulan in her book. "They come to big cities from small towns to pursue their dreams, realize their goals, and improve their family situations. They are just like Mulan," says Ye.

The idea of reinterpreting traditional culture came to Ye in her exchange study at Oslo National Academy of the Arts in 2016, when she often found herself missing home and sharing Chinese history and culture with foreign friends.

"There are many wonderful stories in Chinese culture, so I thought maybe I could do something, like drawing a picture book," Ye says.

Ye's artistic creation of Mulan came first in 2018, when she used the face of Mulan in Cantonese Opera as the design of the souvenir sheet for United Nations Postal Administration as the featured stamp of the 35th Asian International Stamp Exhibition.

In her research on Mulan for the picture book, Ye found writers in different era have their own interpretation of Mulan.

The research inspired Ye to further explore not only in the traditional way of storytelling but also re-imagine in a more modern way that relates to contemporary people.

In her version of the story, Ye puts more emphasis on the homecoming of Mulan.