• Title: 杨门女将 (Yang Men Nu Jiang)
• Translation: “Female Generals of the Yang Family”
• Publisher: 人民美术出版社 (People’s Fine Arts Publishing House)

• Author: 王叔晖 (Wang Shuhui)
• Biography:
  • Born in 1912 in Tianjin, originally from Zhejiang Province, Wang Shuhui was a well-known female painter specializing in figure painting.
  • Wang was born into a scholarly family and was passionate about painting from a young age. In 1927, she began learning Western painting. In 1928, she joined the “Beijing Chinese Painting Research Society” and became a student of Jin Cheng.
  • Over the years, Wang refined her techniques and became a prominent artist in New China. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, she joined the People’s Fine Arts Publishing House and later became a lecturer at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. She created a large number of art works that are widely loved by the public.

Content Summary:

• The story of the Yang Family Generals is a widely circulated folk legend in China, highlighting their bravery and heroic deeds on the battlefield.
• This particular narrative focuses on the female members of the Yang family and is set during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty.
• When the Western Xia forces invade, the elderly Madam She takes command and, together with the female generals of the Yang family, defeats the enemy and preserves the country’s integrity