Beautiful vision

When it comes to the makeup business in China, Mao Geping is a name to reckon with. But he has some way to go before he makes his mark on the global stage

When it comes to makeup Mao Geping is a legend. His magical technique transformed actress Liu Xiaoqing into the historical figure, Wu Zetian, in 1994. In the TV drama, Wu - played by Liu, then 40 - morphed from 15 to 82.

Though more than three decades have passed since he stepped into the field in 1983, he remains a major force.

At the end of March, he introduced his latest makeup range from his brand Maogeping at the 751 D Park in the Chaoyang district of Beijing.

Mao, 54, draws inspiration from classical poetry, paintings and costumes that reflect history.

His latest makeup offerings include Bai Ri Qian Li series which comes from the Tang (618-907) poem called The Stork Tower by Wang Zhihuan.

Bai ri means white sun, and qian li means thousands of li (a Chinese unit of measurement which equals 500 meters).

The poem showcases the beauty of the nature, and encourages people to keep climbing to get a grander view.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), the "ti zhuang" look was known for its morbid beauty. And to attain the look, women applied rouge or removed some foundation from the corners of the eyes, to create the "crying eyes" effect.

However, Mao's team modified the look with the base in white and two pieces of metallic silver material used as eyebrows.

His Jin Se Sheng Shi (The Golden Age) series, is based on the "fo zhuang" look that was common in the Tang and Song (960-1279) dynasties.

Then, the Northern minorities applied golden paint to their faces to avoid being mistaken as prostitutes, and later just for skin care.

For the series, Mao uses gold as the main color, and blends it with black for different levels of brightness around the eyes, besides using golden sequins as extra decoration.

The Jiang Shan Hong Yan (The Beauty of the Land) series is a combination of light colors.