One critic said that Wang "created the most heart-warming images from the world's coldest place. The penguin photos from other photographers, with perfect composition, light and shade, are cold and remote. Wang's shots exhibit something humane, compassionate, and life-affirming."

In one picture showing a penguin family of three, the chick in the middle holds its head high like an impish child, while the parents lower their heads as though trying to discipline the little baby.

"What made the picture even more attractive was that you could almost hear the chick humming its naughty anger. It reminded me of my son when he was little," said Tu Yongzhen, a restaurant owner in Jiaxing.

Tu bought a print of this photograph as a gift for her grown-up son, who hung it on his bedroom wall alongside his wedding picture.

Speaking about her pictures, Jin Yongquan, the chief editor of the monthly magazine Chinese Photography, says: "Wang might not have any particular philosophy about life, but her penguin images show us the photographer as an individual, as though her humble life is mysteriously connected with the birds."

After some setbacks in her life, Wang found her true self through photography.