Ye Luying wins her second Golden Dragon Award with a new Mulan manga

Chinese illustrator and comic artist Ye Luying took home the Anime of the Year award at the 23rd edition of China's Golden Dragon Awards, held on October 2 in Guangzhou. The award recognizes her work Gan Yi Hong Zhuang Wen Shan He, a new take on the story of Mulan.

For Ye, this award has a special flavor. Ten years ago, at the 13th edition, she won the Best Illustration award for her adaptation of Luo Shen Fu. That recognition, she said in an interview with Yangcheng Evening News, changed her career. "When I went up on stage I almost cried. I didn't expect to fulfill a childhood dream," she recalled.

The artist grew up reading Manyou magazine and following the Golden Dragon Awards since the first edition. That's why, when she finished university and found herself at a crossroads, she bet on submitting her work to the contest. The 2016 victory gave her the confidence to dedicate herself fully to illustration and comics.

From Luo Shen Fu to Mulan

Ye's relationship with the Golden Dragon Awards didn't end there. In the 15th edition, she was the invited creator of the official poster, with a series of illustrations titled The Four Seasons of the Dragon's Daughter. She later served as a judge and speaker. This year she returned to compete as an author and took home the top prize.

Her new work revisits Mulan, a character she had already tackled before in Mulan Ci. The difference now lies in the approach. "I wanted to show her growth from a village girl to becoming a general, making her own decisions," she explained. For Ye, that arc connects with many people who leave home chasing a dream.

The author also talked about her creative method. Her best-known works, such as Luo Shen Fu or Lan Ting Xu, draw from classics of Chinese tradition. "I don't just paint a beautiful goddess. I paint the relationship between people and their ideals," she noted. In the case of Lan Ting Xu, what interests her is not the banquet scene, but Wang Xizhi's reflection on eternity and brief life.

Guangzhou, her second home

Ye is originally from Zhejiang, but she maintains a close bond with Guangdong since that first award. Over this decade she has participated in comic exhibitions, video game fairs, and animation museum events in the region. "The comic scene in Guangdong is very diverse, like the flowers of the province: it blooms everywhere and improves every day," she commented.

The awards ceremony took place in the Pazhou district of Guangzhou. The next day, the artist participated in the Chinese Comics Industry Summit with a talk titled Ancient Feelings, Current Emotions: My Path in Creating Illustrated Books.

For Ye, the award confirms something she has defended for years: consistency matters more than immediate results. "Winning or not is a matter of probability. The important thing is not to give up and keep creating. In the end, there is always an answer," she stated.