Ye Luying's illustration of An Ode to the Goddess of Luo. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"An intoxicating dream ends and people will eventually face the reality. An Ode to the Goddess of Luo portrays the love within sight but beyond reach, which echoes a universal sense of loneliness. I was so touched by its slight tinge of sorrow when I first read it," Ye said.

The most famous interpretation of the prose is Nymph of the Luo River by Gu Kaizhi, a celebrated painter of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 317-420). Gu's work also ranks as one of the top 10 traditional paintings in Chinese art history.

"Gu is my idol. His representation of the nymph and the legend is flawless. I need to blaze a new trail by infusing modern elements into the original characters. So I integrate this classical story with contemporary art style."