She was a renowned painter, poet, and composer, receiving the name Xianglan because her most favored paintings were of orchids.
In order to maintain her reputation as an elite Yiji, she only allowed educated men or young aristocrats within her residence.
[2] During the late Ming dynasty, elite Yijis challenged the gender stereotypes of Confucian values.
In contrast to the women of the gentry, who were often discouraged from cultivating talent lest it undermine their virtue as wives and mothers, Yijis were educated in painting, poetry, and music.
After Pen's death, when she was eighteen, she took on Wang Zhideng, a poet, as her new patron, and developed a talent for writing poetry.
[4] Other poets and intellectuals she befriended include Zhou Tianqiu, Xu Wei, and Xue Mingyi.
Wang intervened, and was able to make a deal by offering a sample of his calligraphy in exchange for Ma's freedom.
[1] Ma and Wang's relationship may have been the basis for the 1597 opera Bailianqun (White Silk Skirt), which ridiculed a sexually active older couple.
[4][2] The play was quickly banned due to it being perceived as immoral, but the text itself gained popularity.
Wang recollected that this was in celebration for his 70th birthday, although scholar Zhao Mi notes this as unlikely due to the commercial requirements of a theatrical tour.
This last job included presenting onstage, tutoring performers, and touring with her troupe, which was known for northern plays.
Within fifty years of her death, Qian Qianyi, husband of fellow Qinhuai Beauty Liu Rushi, documented Wang's version of Ma's life in his poetry.
Therefore, a large number of forgeries appeared in the name of Ma Shouzhen, and they even entered the court of the Qing Dynasty.
The "Shiqu Baoji Chubian" (石渠宝笈初编) contains a fake copy of Ma Shouzhen's "Painted Orchid Scroll" (画兰卷).