Colorful collection of Sanmao series Sanmao loves science

Author: Zhang Leping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Fifteen years ago, I began drawing Sanmao. At that time, it seemed that few Chinese cartoonists had attempted to create comics without dialogue. Readers also had not yet developed a habit of appreciating comics without text. Especially for long-running serialized comics, the author seemed to need to add some text to supplement the limitations of the drawings, and readers were accustomed to understanding the meaning of the images through the medium of text. When I drew Sanmao, of course, it was a bold attempt! I wanted to minimize the use of text and let readers understand what they needed to know through the lines in my drawings. However, I had too little experience with life. Taking the Sanmao I wanted to create as an example, although thousands of Sanmaos surrounded me, I grew up alongside them, body to body, heart to heart. I could even say, "I grew up in the world of Sanmao!" Even so, I still couldn’t say that I fully understood the life of Sanmao. I wasn’t even sure that my brush could accurately convey Sanmao’s true face without any flaws. But I had finally bravely abandoned the use of lengthy textual dialogues to create Sanmao. Every time I went to a new place, or even when I left my house every day and walked down every street, I could see the characters I wanted to create. They were always gaunt, poorly clothed, hungry, and cold, with no shelter from wind and rain, let alone the warmth of a family or a good education. Our good society was full of these little people; full of those so-called future masters of China; full of the so-called second generation. I was angry, I cursed, and I vowed to let my brush never stop pleading for these insulted and harmed children, to serve these innocent suffering children! Although my skills were not yet mature, and although my observations still had gaps, my heart’s love for humanity and for the thousands of children growing up in hardship was always warm! Over the past fifteen years, I have poured my sympathy and friendship for them into Sanmao through my brush! I never paid attention to my own hardships, nor did I consider my success or failure. I was solely focused on conveying the love and hatred, right and wrong, light and darkness of life through Sanmao.
Over the past fifteen years, the only comfort I felt in creating Sanmao was that thousands of familiar and unfamiliar children loved to read about him. Especially after the victory of the War of Resistance, the "Sanmao Joins the Army" and "Sanmao’s Wandering" I published in the Shanghai Daily and Dagongbao were widely supported by readers. They cried for Sanmao’s suffering and rejoiced at his happiness. Countless familiar and unfamiliar young readers often shared the joys and sorrows of the Sanmao in the drawings. I often received letters like this: "I am sending a knitted sweater, hoping you can pass it to Mr. Zhang Leping. Please ask Mr. Zhang to put it on Sanmao. The weather has been extremely cold lately, and Sanmao is only wearing a ragged Hong Kong shirt. This sweater is small, but Sanmao might be able to use it to stay a little warmer. This would bring peace to thousands of readers." This is just one of the countless heartwarming examples. I was often moved by these pure and great acts of love. I knew that my efforts were not in vain, and this was also why I worked tirelessly for years to create Sanmao.
Over the past fifteen years, I have drawn Sanmao, and I haven’t forgotten the loneliness and solitude of the beginning. But now, I have thousands of familiar and unfamiliar friends walking alongside me. The path didn’t exist before; it was only created when someone walked on it. After all, I created a path for myself in my creation. Sanmao will never be lonely, and neither will I.
The children’s welfare association organized by Madame Sun held a "Sanmao Charity Exhibition" to help children in the same predicament as Sanmao. I was sorry that my works were not yet mature, especially the thirty color charity paintings, which were rushed while I was ill. But when I thought of the thousands of Sanmaos who benefited from Madame Sun’s charity, as the author of Sanmao, could there be a more joyful experience than this?
Sanmao, as drawn by Mr. Zhang Leping, was born in the spring and summer of 1935. The earliest Sanmao comic works that can be found were published in the Morning News supplement Picture Morning News on July 28, 1935. The charm of Sanmao’s character lies in his purely Chinese name and the cartoonish child that perfectly matches it. His bald head with three short hairs sticking out, whether crouching, curling up, or standing on his head, isn’t enough—his round nose is essential to make him lifelike. Sanmao’s unique design and interesting scenes immediately captured the attention of readers. Sanmao Loves Science was first published in Children’s Times in 1978. Mr. Gao Shiqi wrote in the preface to the standalone edition: "The book Sanmao Loves Science can inspire children’s interest in science, stimulate their thinking, and cultivate their love for science from a young age, inspiring them to look toward the future." "This book is an excellent work for popularizing scientific knowledge and is increasingly favored by young readers. This is the need of the times and the need of the motherland."
2005 marked the 70th anniversary of Sanmao’s birth. To celebrate this, we planned and published this set of Full-Color Sanmao Collection. The book collects all of Mr. Zhang Leping’s Sanmao comic works and is the most complete and brand-new version in China. Sanmao Loves Science was created between 1978 and 1980, and this book also includes New Adventures of Sanmao, written between 1977 and 1986. The content covers all aspects of children’s lives in New China, with many stories containing scientific knowledge that can inspire children’s interest in science and stimulate their thinking. At the same time, to enhance readability, we have carefully colored the original drawings and added concise text to achieve the effect of "pictures and words intertwined."