It always makes my day when I receive nice notes from readers and occasionally I’ll get pictures or other interesting links related to my books or the Tang Dynasty. These are too cool not to share.
This illustration was part of an Illustration Friday series done by Jen, a graphic artist from Australia. The swordswoman in red was inspired by Ai Li from Butterfly Swords. I thought if Malinda Lo’s Huntress cover and Butterfly Swords had a love child, it would look like this. Posted here with her permission. Visit her website for more illustrations and musings by Jen: Evening Hour
Gwendolyn Andrews paints watercolor portraits depicting Tang Dynasty clothing and fashion. She sent me some lovely examples as well as an awesome picture inspired by Suyin and Li Tao in The Dragon and the Pearl. I love how the picture shows Suyin playing the qin (zither) and the hanfu robe she’s wearing as well as her hair style are absolutely gorgeous. This was one of my favorite scenes between the two of them in the book.
Amy Harlib, dancer and contortionist, sent some pictures from her performance of a combination of wushu and contortionist skills to the music of Mulan in New York City. You can see more amazing pictures at her site on ReverbNation: Amazing Amy. Also videos of her performance on YouTube.
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And reviewer FredTownWard sent me links to some dolls — essentially “Tang Dynasty Barbies” — from the China Sprout catalog site. Isn’t the detail amazing? The red wedding dress is so extravagant. The two inspired by Yang Guifei are quite expensive, but the two bride dolls are reasonably priced. Perhaps I should order one for my little girl?
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Hope you enjoy! And please do let me know if you come across any cool Tang Dynasty pictures or memorabilia. It really was such a visually stunning time period.
