Have you heard of"choubaguai"? Do you know its meaning? Do you think it is a kind of fruit or it refers to(指) ugly people?
(在……期间) the Qing Dynasty(1644—1911), Yangzhou was a center for business and (文化). Many artists lived there. Among these artists was a special group of eight painters. They were all from poor families but they were truly (有才能的). They had their (自己的) styles(风格) and their paintings were mirrors of (普通的) lives. Their paintings touched many people's (内心). They became quite famous and (百) of rich traders went to buy their paintings. So the other painters disliked them and called them"Yangzhou baguai". Some (甚至) called them"choubaguai". Although it wasn't a nice name, people (相信) their paintings were great.
Today, "Yangzhou baguai" is still used to refer to the eight painters, but"Choubaguai" now (失去) its original meaning and just refers to ugly people in general.