One piece from Chen's  Red and Black series which was showcased at a landmark department store in Milan, Italy, in January. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Her Red and Black series of artworks, displayed at La Rinascente, was such a pleasant surprise for her. During the 10 days it was exhibited, she stood nearby observing the reactions of the passers-by. She was glad to see many of them stop to take photos and read the descriptions below each show window. "I was so proud when some came to me and told me that they enjoyed my work," Chen adds.

Chen recalls that when she first met staff members from the department store to propose her ideas for displaying her work in shop windows, she was nervous. "They seemed very strict and nobody smiled," she recalls. "I kept telling myself just to show them the real me."

When asked her opinion of Chinese culture, she said that "it can be magnificent like the Palace Museum, but it can also be as simple as what I drew as a Chinese girl".