TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Lithuanian artist created this illustration last month to show solidarity with Taiwan as the two countries fight to withstand continuous pressure tactics by China.

Marija Hornshaw told Taiwan News that she created the artwork on Dec. 23, 2021. When asked about her inspiration for the image, Hornshaw said, "I just feel immense solidarity with the Taiwanese people, I am Lithuanian myself, and our generation grew up not only hearing our parents' and grandparents' stories of how life looked under the Soviet occupation, but we can also see the scars they left until this day."

Alluding to the dragon in the illustration, she said, "We fought our own dragon, and so we wish to help others do the same." When asked about the knight depicted wielding a lance in the piece, Hornshaw said he is Saint George, the legendary Christian megalomartyr, and the illustration is her take on the story of Saint George and the Dragon.

The white horse and shield featuring the double cross were derived from the Lithuanian coat of arms. In the illustration, Saint George plunges his lance into a red dragon, while a Taiwan blue magpie pulls on the dragon's whisker.

Hornshaw posted the image on the Reddit page for Taiwan on New Year's Eve, and it soon gained over 1,000 upvotes and 80 comments. Many Lithuanians commented on the post expressing their support for the Baltic country's tilt towards Taiwan as well as anxiety that their government could eventually acquiesce to Chinese economic pressure.

St. George impales Chinese red dragon as Taiwan blue magpie tugs at its whisker. (Marija Hornshaw illustration)