Her work was severely criticized by government officials and conservative critics - in part because she painted of nudes, however, she and the fellow woman painter Guan Zilan became favourites in the art world of the Republic of China (1912–49). Women artists trained in Western style, such as Pan and Guan, captured the fascination of the public, and were accepted as the embodiment of modernity. Pan is also appraised that she drew readily from the techniques of Chinese ink painting while subtly undermining the authority of that tradition in relation to the European art tradition. Pan Yuliang is probably best known for her female nudes and it became a staple in her artistic practice. In China, women artists were generally constricted to depictions of nature and occasionally portraiture but nudes were considered improper. Despite this, Pan continued to create various female nudes, often using herself as a model, despite the controversy it generated in the modern arts scene in China.