Painting Ma fashioned herself as a painter in the style of the Wen circle and
Wu School. So highly regarded was her work that clients came from as far afield as Thailand to purchase it. 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. Ma was involved in the theater as a performer and playwright, as well as being the only known courtesan/woman to own a theater troupe in late Ming theater. This last job included presenting onstage, tutoring performers, and touring with her troupe, which was known for northern plays. Ma also was the author of at least one play,
Sansheng ji (
Story of Three Lives). The play is an adaptation of
A Southern Song (1127-1279), a play about a student betraying his courtesan lover. As courtesan theatre was infrequently highlighted in Ming theatre, some male dramatists believed
The Story of three Lives had been ghostwritten. The play is about love and betrayal in three lives. In the first, Wang Kui betrays courtesan Guiying, who had supported his study, by marrying another after. In the second life, the courtesan Su Qing (Guiying) abandons student Feng Kui (Wang Kui). In their third life, they repay their debt of love and marry.
Poetry Ma published her first collection of poetry in 1591, with an introduction by Wang Zhideng.
Patronage Ma also served as a patron of the arts. She funded Liang Chenyu's
Hongxian nü (Lady Hongxian) in return for Liang writing poems for her. == Legacy ==