Illustrator's cutting-edge ambition

In 2000, when Yu graduated, she was invited to an exhibition at Sotheby's London. As soon as visitors entered the hall, they could see a representation of the silhouettes of the various people who may be in a museum, either standing in contemplation or whispering with companions, all cut from a long black sheet of paper. The work attracted many auction houses, galleries, and publishers that wanted to work with Yu.

Bringing down the curtain on her studies at the Royal College of Art, one of the most prestigious art universities in the world, and with a bright career ahead of her, Yu chose to move to Coton with her German husband, who teaches at Cambridge University.

In the small village 80 kilometers from the bustling capital, Yu gave birth to three children and wound up doing most of the housework. During the following 13 years, her busy home life contributed to the fact that she only managed to publish two books.

She says her publisher later told her: "If you hadn't gone to Cambridge, you would have been a paper-cutting queen by now."