In her study, focusing on periods after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Ding found that the facial expressions of oil painting figures conformed to the lifestyles of the specific times.

For instance, she stated that portraits composed during the cultural revolution (1966-76) always featured heroic figures, who usually had proud and fanatical facial expressions. It is something that can also be seen in films, dramas and posters from that period.

She noted that facial expressions of portraits after the late 1970s are more diverse, reflecting artists' changing notions of humanity.

Ancient town in South Anhui	Ancient town in South Anhui

This period reflected what Ding calls a school of "rural realism" in which farmers and minority ethnic people are depicted in rich details.