Ye Luying's illustration of An Ode to the Goddess of Luo. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

During the early stage of her creation, Ye spent half a year traveling hundreds of miles to different libraries and museums. She went through relevant documents and paintings to ensure the historical accuracy of her illustrations. She also hopes that readers can feel the personal touch she bestowed upon every character.

"I have invested a lot of energy in recreating the central figure of the tale, the Goddess of Luo," Ye said. "After studying the paintings of Gu Kaizhi and Dunhuang murals, I made a bold decision of portraying the goddess with partial nudity. I want to depict a fresh image of the goddess, combining the traits of both Taoism and Buddhism."