Pang Maokun produced two similar works entitled "The Apples Are Ripe" this one being the second painting he did of the subject, a woman of the Yi minority of Sichuan. The original painting made in 1983 gained him much acclaim and was a prizewinner in the Sixth National Art Exhibition held in Beijing in 1984. Pang Maokun says that he was drawn to the idea of painting this scene when he saw the woman squatting in an orchard against a backdrop of apple trees. She has been hired to protect the ripening apples from anyone who might try to steal them. Her hands are raised to shield her eyes as something attracts her attention. She wears a black dress, heavily pleated apron and broad bamboo hat bound in black cloth that are characteristic of her people. The texture and detail in the painting is expertly handled by the artist who says he was also attracted to the subject because of the textures and contrasts he thought he could interpret.