Ma Shouzhen(1548-1604), styled Xuan'er and Yuejiao, was also known by her literary name Xianglan. She was a native of Nanjing and became a famous courtesan there. Intelligent and resourceful, she was expert in poetry and painting and paid more attention to righteousness than wealth. In close contacts with literati, she was on more intimate terms with Wang Zhideng. Celebrated in South China for her consummate skills in painting orchid, she called herself "Ma Xianglan" (Orchid Ma). Her works attach slight importance to meticulous delineation of orchid's appearance and stress expression of its spirit so as to show her refined taste. With natural grace and rustic charm, the orchids in her works share a lot of similarities with the flowers created by male literati painters, esp. the painters of Wumen School like Wen Zhengming, and reflect that courtesan painters followed the steps and inherited the traditions of male literati painters.