Zhang's love of art was what kept her going and eventually propelled her toward her future career.

"I have loved painting since childhood, it makes me calm at heart and my pain even seems lessened while painting," she said.

Her big break came in 1996, when Zhou Xiaolu, her sister's classmate, first saw Zhang's paintings.

Zhou's father, an established science fiction novelist, was looking for an illustrator for his latest story, which would be serialized in a renowned Chinese fiction periodical.

So Zhang, age 17, read the text carefully and drew more than 20 pictures for Zhou's father, who commended her work, noting her "comprehensive ability to convey a writer's most delicate thoughts through the discourse of fine art".

All of the artwork was accepted for publication by the periodical's editors and Zhang received 600 yuan ($87) as remuneration, almost three months' income for her family at that time.

With that revelation, the young artist decided she would strive to make a living from her art.

She was encouraged in her endeavors by a number of the periodical's readers, who became her pen pals.

One of them - a woman from Luzhou, Sichuan province, named Yu Yimei - still keeps in contact with Zhang to this day.

It was Yu who, in 2014, persuaded Zhang to take up oil painting, because "traditional Chinese ink sketches and watercolor paintings always make the bedclothes dirty".

By watching online videos, reading books and copying the works of Western masters, Zhang was able to teach herself how to paint with oils. In 2,000 hours, she has created more than 200 oil paintings.

Her younger brother suggested she sell some online.

"I thought it was a good idea, as there was no place to store them at home and more important, I thought it could be a reliable source of income for my parents, who still have to work to support me," Zhang said.