Mai Weitong, an illustrator and motion-graphic artist, based in London, the United Kingdom, has been drawing since she was a child, immersed in both Eastern and Western artistic environments. In 2017, after she graduated from Camberwell College of Arts, in the UK, with a bachelor's degree in illustration, Mai became a freelance illustrator, and she began collaborating with various publishers and advertising agencies to create book illustrations and promotional artwork. In her work, she has revitalized Eastern elements with contemporary illustrations. Through her illustrations, Mai creates bridges of cross-cultural communication, which she uses to help introduce talented Asian illustrators to international audiences.
Artistic Foundation
"I started drawing in primary school, and I developed a strong interest in it. I also attended many extracurricular, drawing-related classes," Mai recalls. Her childhood experiences laid the foundation for her artistic dream.
The art education she received, especially during her early years, deepened her love for illustrating. After years of rigorous training, Mai began thinking of ways to use the power of art to achieve true creation — and self-expression.
In 2013, Mai enrolled in the University of the Arts London, in the UK, to complete a foundation course in art and design. She later enrolled in Camberwell College of Arts, where she completed her undergraduate degree in illustration. Mai deepened her cultural reflections while studying in the UK. During her spare time, she often visited art venues, where she gained inspiration.
"I would go to different museums, galleries and art gatherings. For me, it wasn't just about learning techniques, but a gradual process of adjusting my way of thinking. These were all gains, from experiencing art itself," she says.
Mai never limited her studies solely to illustration. At the time she was a student, art-related disciplines were classified into one of three main categories: First, design, including fashion, industrial, architecture, and graphic design; second, media, covering illustration, advertising, visual communication and public relations; and third, fine arts, involving photography, sculpture, painting, installation and performance art.
Mai was determined to accumulate interdisciplinary knowledge; in fact, she likened her major of illustration to the "trunk of a tree," while other disciplines were extending branches. Through accumulating experiences in different fields, Mai has built up energy for her career development.
"What the creative market needs is not just technique and skill, but creativity in the mind and the unique aesthetic output that cannot be replaced," she says.
When she is creating, Mai not only considers the potential extensions of her work, so she designs derivative content to clarify its usability, but she also expands her creative domains, and she tries to interpret different elements with her distinctive style.
"The very purpose of illustration is to serve as a bridge for conveying information or stories, and then to transmit them through one's own understanding and aesthetic concepts. In my own creations, I hope to resonate with the pursuit of life, to capture and reflect those quiet, yet simple, moments in everyday life," Mai says.
Path of Creation
While at Camberwell, Mai stood out, thanks in large part to her remarkable performances. She participated in various competitions, and she won several awards, which filled her with expectations for the future. After she graduated, in 2017, she was offered an internship at Folio Arts, an illustration agency in London.
Two years later, she joined Richard Soloman, an illustration company, and she began taking on projects as a freelance illustrator. That year, she also secured a role, as an illustrator, with Penguin Books.
Mai's career gained momentum as she ventured into various fields; for example, from expanding beyond illustrating books and magazines to illustrating ad campaigns.
In 2020, she created the illustrations for Dorling Kindersley's The Encyclopedia of Dreams. In 2023, she was the only Chinese illustrator, among seven illustrators, working on the Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac. Mai was responsible for illustrating the introductions of characters in the first chapter.
As her experiences accumulated, Mai delved deeper into the fusion of traditional Chinese culture and contemporary illustration.
In her blog post, "What commercial illustrators can learn from Chinese painting," she explained how to transform the concepts of Chinese painting — such as the combination of poetry, calligraphy, painting, and the seal; dynamic carrier design; and, collective creation — into practical methods of modern commercial illustration.
For example, the methods include embedding text into images, borrowing dynamic formats, such as scrolls and fans, to design interactive visuals, or even creating works with others, as was done in traditional painting collaborations, allowing Eastern aesthetics to inject longer-lasting cultural depth into commercial illustrations.
In 2023, Mai designed the cover for the English edition of Chinese sci-fi writer Hao Jingfang's novel, Jumpnauts, and her illustration proved to be an important attempt at blending Eastern symbols with a sci-fi theme.
On the cover, a Chinese dragon coils in the center, its claws flanked by a satellite and aircraft. Below, a traditional Chinese pavilion and pagoda coexist with modern skyscrapers and sailing ships, all enveloped by the dragon's sinuous body, and all against a backdrop of star-studded space.
The presence of the majestic dragon collides with the vastness of the cosmos, while the elegance of traditional Chinese architecture merges seamlessly with the futuristic vibe of aerospace technology, all vividly showcasing the fusion of Chinese elements and the sci-fi theme.
When she accepted the task of illustrating Sun Tzu's The Art of War, Mai took on the challenge of "how to help young readers grasp the abstract wisdom of military strategy." To visualize the abstract concepts in the book, she drew inspiration from battle scenes of the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), and she used historical settings familiar to young readers to interpret ancient wisdom.
Her personal illustration series, Chinese-Style Windows, which incorporates elements like qipao, traditional Chinese windows and architecture, is a poetic interpretation of the charm of Oriental women.
Each of the three circular illustrations carries its own charm: The first depicts a woman, in qipao, holding a fan under the moon; the second, a half-hidden face, behind a round fan, set against a garden pavilion; and, the third, a woman’s figure, glimpsed through lattice windows.
"The inspiration came from my family. Around that time, my aunt was starting her own qipao studio, and she shared a lot of relevant information with me," Mai says.
Expanding Global Market
"There are many talented illustrators in China, and they want to expand their client base, but they are hindered by language barriers, time-zone differences, and other issues. I wanted to build a platform to connect domestic illustrators with overseas projects," Mai says.
With that idea in mind, Mai and a friend in 2021 founded Caper Illustration, an agency for Asian illustrators dedicated to showcasing Asian culture through visual arts, and connecting illustrators, animators and motion-graphic designers with international markets.
Mai believes Western markets are relatively conservative in the use and expression of Chinese-style elements. "We can offer new perspectives and understandings, at a deeper level, and we can achieve further integration. This advantage of 'understanding both the core of Eastern culture and the logic of Western communication' can enable Asian illustrators to become an important force in promoting cultural diversity in the global market," Mai says. She hopes Caper Illustration will be the "catalyst" for this transformation.
In 2024, during Birmingham Design Week, Mai gave a speech, during which she outlined pathways for Asian illustrators to go global. She explained how some Western brands, when planning activities related to Chinese New Year, featured elements like red envelopes and the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac in their promotional materials.
Mai said she believes, although the elements carry strong Chinese characteristics, there are actually more diverse, and multidimensional, ways to express them. For example, she suggests illustrators could utilize the art of negative space, the basic circular symbols to represent reunion, and lines to symbolize connection.
Cultural communication is not just the repetition of symbols, but also the conveyance of core ideas, Mai says. "Only by helping Western audiences understand the emotions and values behind cultural symbols can true cultural resonance be achieved," she said during her speech.
Six years ago, in a video, Mai explained, "Illustration is more than just a job. I hope everyone interested in illustration can maintain their passion and original intentions. There's often a tug-of-war between life and creation, and a balance needs to be struck between work and interest."
She still holds to that view. "Whether it's balancing practical implementation and creative expression at work, reconciling idealism and reality in life, or balancing interpersonal relationships, all require great strength," she says.
Her heartfelt love for illustration is what sustains her as she tries to achieve balance in each aspect of her life.
"Every time I complete a satisfying piece, or a project is recognized, that sense of fulfillment is something I can't let go of," Mai says. She has a message for young people hoping to enter the illustration industry: "Prepare yourself as early as possible, so you'll have more time and space to handle what comes next. And, protect the things you truly love and enjoy doing."
Photos from Interviewee
(Women of China English Monthly January 2026)
Editor: Wang Shasha
