Skip to content
Xiang Li Traditional Chinese Watercolor

A life's work

Collections

Six decades of traditional Chinese watercolor — from the Forbidden City studios to the empresses taking shape in Massachusetts today.

Chinese Empresses

2012 – present

Chinese Empresses

More than 200 empresses across two thousand years — 153 portrait chapters in gemstone pigments on silk, still growing.

Explore

Dream of the Red Chamber

1975 – 85

Dream of the Red Chamber

The first complete collection of all 413 characters from the classic novel — ten years of work, displayed in Beijing for two decades.

Explore

Creative Portraits

Commissions

Creative Portraits

Symbol-rich silk portraits of remarkable people — physicians, storytellers, founders — each created with its own iconography.

Explore

Guanyin · Original Art

Available works

Guanyin · Original Art

Original Guanyin paintings and lifestyle sketches, pre-mounted and ready to hang — contact the studio for availability.

Explore

Pandas

2012 & new work

Pandas

Joyful watercolors of giant pandas — including a new set inspired by Qing Bao and Bao Li at the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Explore

Chinese Zodiac

All twelve animals

Chinese Zodiac

The full zodiac in playful, gift-ready watercolor — rat to pig, each with its own character.

Explore

Education

Chinese Dragons

The history of the Chinese dragon, dynasty by dynasty — with a free downloadable classroom handout.

Explore