The delicate brush strokes she employed in her paintings came from her skill as a calligrapher, leading to many commissions to illustrate books of poems and several film-sets about China. She painted street signs and was involved in the costume design for productions such as "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" and "The World of Suzy Wong". Her work for "The Road to Hong Kong" led to a friendship with the American comedian Bob Hope, while she also designed a silk pattern with swallows for the fashion designer Christian Dior, and sang in Peking Opera productions, singing both male and female roles. In later years she became well known as the artist behind a series of prints of birds and landscapes which graced homes throughout the country. On the death of her husband she visited Shanghai, finding that the place had changed beyond all recognition.