The work was presented as a gift to Filip Vujanovic, president of the Republic of Montenegro when he visited the Shanghai Expo in May.(Source: China Daily)
BEIJING, Sep. 10 (Xinhuanet) --Hong Kong newspapers like Takungpao and Mingpao have acclaimed Drunken Beauty as one of the most famous paintings in China, but the work has already become a household name on the Chinese mainland.
As the most celebrated works of Liu Linghua, Chinese oil master, Drunken Beauty and its stories enjoyed a wide readership in special weekly issues of China Daily during the 2010 Expo.
Every week an anecdote about the painting in the official English-language newspaper for the Shanghai Expo have resulted in 25 stories that reached millions of Expo visitors.
With more than 200 countries and regions taking part in Shanghai Expo, Drunken Beauty has been honored by use on authorized Expo postcards brought home by millions of people.
The painting is not only a way for foreign visitors to learn about Chinese culture, but also an ideal route for the general public to get closer to the refined artwork, the only oil painting on Chinese opera to be put on postcards.
The painting also had an exclusive column in the Shanghai Daily during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Prior to the Olympic games, Drunken Beauty appeared as an ambassador of Chinese culture during the 180-day countdown to the Games as more than 50 million newspapers spread the charm of the painting.
The executive committee of the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games presents an embroidery piece of Liu Linghua's oil painting Drunken Beauty to the director-general of the Game's opening ceremony Don Mischer.(Source: China Daily)
Meanwhile, the embroidery work of Drunken Beauty was also selected as a special gift by the Organizing Committee for the Beijing Games and presented to delegates from all over the world.
Another milestone achievement for Drunken Beauty was its successful shows in Beijing, Hong Kong and Taiwan from November 2008 to February 2010.
Part of a exhibition termed the largest in 60 years by the Chinese People's Political Consultative Newspaper, the show has attracted a number of important figures including State Councilor Liu Yandong and Lien Chan, honorary chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang Party, and received high acclaim from both the media and the audience.
Drunken Beauty also remains a close relationship with the charity work. In 2006, Elsie Leung, the former secretary for Justice of Hong Kong, donated her favorite embroidery work based on the painting, which was auctioned for HK$128,000 and the money given to Hong Kong charities.
After the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, a Dutch philanthropist bought an embroidery work on the Drunken Beauty for 50,000 yuan at a charity party, with the money contributed to the quake victims. He later donated the work itself to the Shanghai Charity Foundation.
Fans of Drunken Beauty include celebrities and superstars such as Celine Dion, Placido Domingo, and Sharon Stone, who have had photos taken with it.
However, the ever-increasing popularity of the painting has also caused troubles such as piracy problems. More and more derivative products of Drunken Beauty can be seen in big cities and large department stores that sell luxury products.
As the exclusive owner of the intellectual rights for the Drunken Beauty, Shanghai Chinese Quintessence Art Co Ltd has launched a national campaign against four companies to protect its rights.
