Ma Shouzhen

Ma Shouzhen (; c. 1548–1604), also known by her courtesy name Ma Xianglan (, meaning "Orchid of the Xiang River") and pen name Yuejiao ("Lunar Beauty"), was a Chinese courtesan and artist born in Nanjing during the late Ming dynasty (1550–1644). She was a renowned painter, poet, and composer, receiving the name Xianglan because her most favored paintings were of orchids.

Biography Ma was born in Nanjing, although little of her early life is known. At the age of 15, Ma Shouzhen formally assumed the position of a Yiji, or performing courtesan. She was known as a knight-errant, as she gave many gifts to young men and was cavalier with her money. Other poets and intellectuals she befriended include Zhou Tianqiu, Xu Wei, and Xue Mingyi. When Ma published her poems in 1591, Wang wrote a preface for them. The only paintings by Ma that survive today are examples of her ink landscapes, orchids, and bamboo. Since she was a social person, many of her paintings may have been given away as gifts at parties.

Theater Along with painting, Ma was skilled in writing poetry and dramas, although most of the latter have been lost over time.

In 1994, a crater on Venus was named after Ma.

List of Works Orchid and Bamboo, (fan) ink on golden paper, in the Palace Museum Collection Orchid, Bamboo, and Rock, (fan) ink on golden paper, in the Palace Museum Collection Orchid, Bamboo, and Rock, (hand-scroll) ink on golden paper, in the Palace Museum Collection Orchid and Rock, (hanging scroll) ink on paper, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Online Collection Hanging scroll with bamboo and orchids on a rock, ink on paper, in the Rijksmuseum Collection

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