A pop-up haven for expression
'Sand city' in Hebei province provides artists with 300 hours each year to unleash their creativity, Cheng Yuezhu reports.
For more than 40 years, Shang Xiuhua from Anshan, Liaoning province, worked as a doctor — first at a high school, then at a health clinic. But at the age of 75, she began a second act: drawing cats.
Her feline subjects come in a range of styles and moods. Some are realistic portrayals of various breeds; others are whimsical or personified — practicing kung fu, or sitting at a table reading a book.
Her artistic journey began on an ordinary day in 2014, when her daughter doodled a cat. Unimpressed, Shang decided to try drawing one herself — and found it to be an enjoyable pastime.
Her daughter and son, both cat lovers, encouraged her to keep going, seeing it as a creative outlet during retirement. Her daughter began posting the sketches on social media, where they quickly earned praise.
"I only learned what 'likes' and 'fans' meant after I started painting," Shang says. "I didn't get it at first, but I know now they're forms of recognition. I'm a child at heart — encouragement keeps me going."
Though she has no formal art training, Shang has steadily refined her technique. What started as simple black-and-white sketches evolved into full-color, large-scale works.
Now 86, she has drawn a total of more than 3,000 cats, and she says that not two of their postures are exactly the same. Her publication, Mao Shuo (Cat Says), is included in the collection of the Capital Library of China in Beijing.
Through her work, Shang hopes to spread joy. Many of her drawings are paired with humorous or cheerful phrases meant to bring smiles. Inspired by her grandsons' nicknames, Doudou and Lele, she gave herself the art name "Grandma Doule" — a playful twist that means "to amuse" in Chinese.
