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.
The work was presented as a gift to Filip Vujanovic, president of the Republic of Montenegro when he visited the Shanghai Expo in May.
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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.