Qin Xiuying, an elderly woman who spent most of her life tending crops in northern China's Inner Mongolia, has carved an extraordinary legacy through painting, writing, and publishing her creations.
Starting to hold a paintbrush at the age of 64 to depict the world, the 78-year-old lady, who received brief education as a teenager and had limited literacy, has created a series of exquisite paintings, published two books, and completed her third book so far.
Born in a small village in Wuyuan County, Bayannur, Qin grew up in a large family and completed only one and a half years of formal education. She married at an early age and raised four children while working as a farmer. Following her husband's passing, she lived alone and became increasingly preoccupied with past hardships.
In 2011, Qin Xiuying traveled to Shanghai to stay with her son, Lyu Yonglin. Due to her inability to speak Mandarin or local dialect, she seldom ventured outdoors. Concerned about their mother's loneliness in her later years, Lyu and his wife, Rui Dongli, took her to the park and encouraged her to work on the creation of nature notes.
"They mainly wanted me to try learning something new and keep my brain active. Later on, I figured I didn't really have much else to do anyway. So every day after I got back home, I'd just sit down and draw. No big deal. It's really like an entertainment," said Qin.
As she continued to paint, her brushwork became increasingly fluid, and her enthusiasm for painting grew stronger. Her son and daughter-in-law proposed that she added annotations to her artwork by writing text alongside the images. Since then, Qin Xiuying has revisited a dictionary to improve her writing skills.
As her portfolio grew, Rui shared Qin's work online, garnering unexpected admiration. The couple then taught her basic computer skills to document and share her creations digitally.
"Through writing and drawing, her time and energy can be diverted. But more importantly, there was a change in her mind. Like, all those tough and painful feelings that used to hold her tight were gradually fading away," said Lyu.
In 2015, her first book "The Sky of Flax", a collection of text and hand-drawn illustrations was published. Seven years later, she published her second book, "The Fruit of the World, the People of the World," a nature-themed collection featuring vivid narratives and fascinating life stories about her friends and family back in her hometown in Inner Mongolia.
"I wanted to write these down, and anyone who wanted to learn about it could read it and it could be seen as a story, like what life was like in the 1930s and then what happened in the 1960s or later in the 1970s and 1980s," she explained.
This year, her third book, "Intimate Folds," co-authored by her son and daughter-in-law, will soon be released to readers. It explores family bonds through intergenerational storytelling.
"It's not an illustrated book. It's a guide for those lucky enough to read it to understand how firmly you can stand in this world, how rich your inner self can be, and how broad your perspective can be. Then you can support your life with great strength. You can feel that this is an elderly person with the capacity to give. She is someone who is willing to share her deep emotions, warm feelings and insights with others," said Yin Xiaodong, editor at the Shanghai branch of Guangxi Normal University Press.
Elderly woman from China's rural village builds new life through creation
