Looking back at the forum

Author: Li Lu / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Record of Looking Back at the Comic Book World is a firsthand account, authentic and vivid. The author records many little-known stories in the comic book world with sincere emotions and simple language. Li Lu and Huang Ruoge, Wang Yiqiu, and others in Shanghai's comic book industry in the early 1950s witnessed a significant development from old to new in Shanghai's comic books (at that time, the publication of comic books in China was mainly concentrated in Shanghai). A large number of new, excellent comic book works emerged, along with many talented comic book artists, elevating Chinese comic books to a new height and creating a favorable situation for further development and improvement of the art. When discussing this period of history, various factors come into play, but it is impossible not to mention the New Art Publishing House, a state-private joint venture specializing in comic books that operated from 1952 to 1956. The New Art Publishing House played a crucial role in replacing the large number of old comic books with unhealthy tendencies in society with new, healthy ones, a process known as "replacing the old with the new," while meeting the needs of a broad readership. The house published as many as 300 to 400 books annually. It made significant contributions to the transformative changes in Shanghai's comic book industry during its early liberation period. Who was in charge of this work at the New Art Publishing House? This is the dedicated art worker who pursued the cause of comic books with unwavering commitment—a modest, selfless, frugal, and hardworking Communist Party member named Li Lu. Today, many of his peers in the comic book world may not be familiar with his name, as more than three decades have passed since the New Art Publishing House no longer exists. However, when reflecting on this period of history, it is natural to think of Li Lu, as his position at this critical juncture was pivotal. How did he implement the Party's policies in the field of comic books? Whether he did this or that would have significantly impacted the development of comic books during this phase. Of course, one could also say that he was in the right place at the right time, thus participating in the history of comic books by chance. However, not everything that falls into a basket is a fish. The organization sent him to lead the New Art Publishing House because they understood his historical connection to comic books and his loyalty to his work, allowing him to fully leverage his initiative and contribute to a healthy development of the art. This article primarily introduces the fragments of Li Lu's leadership in the comic book field from 1949 to 1957. It aims not only to introduce him but also to revisit the history of the dramatic changes in the comic book world during the early 1950s. As the saying goes, "A land shapes its people." He was from Panyu, Guangdong. With a typical face of a person from Guangdong and Guangxi, he was of average height and build but could take cold showers in winter. He was physically healthy and carried an air of an intellectual, with an introverted, gentle, and kind personality, always smiling, and he had never been seen with a furious expression in decades. He maintained a frugal lifestyle for decades, treated others with equality, and had a close relationship with his subordinates. Yet, he was not a man who simply went with the flow. At work, he was decisive and acted swiftly. Some described his behavior before and after making decisions: contemplative like an old monk in meditation, calm as a virgin; active like the wind or fire, quick as a rabbit. This was Li Lu in a nutshell. Li Lu studied at Shanghai's private Da Xia University between 1939 and 1940, where he was the underground branch secretary of the Party. Later, he switched to studying art and enrolled at the Xinhua Art College. In 1942, he went to the liberated areas and served as a staff member, instructor, and editor in the New Fourth Army's Second Division, applying his knowledge to his work. From this point on, he developed a connection and fondness for comic books. During the war years, limited by conditions, he focused more on woodblock printing. His works from that era can be seen in the Selected Works of Emerging Woodblock Prints in China published by Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House in 1981. During this period, he also created numerous short comic book works, including The Dictator Jiang's Misrule of the Country (in storytelling form, with lyrics by Comrade Jin Juru, who passed away on duty in the early days of liberation). In 1948, he joined the East China Military Region Political Department's East China Illustrated News (originally Shandong Illustrated News), which, after the Yangtze River crossing, was revived and published in Shanghai on October 1, 1949, with a new spirit. At that time, the East China Illustrated News was a gathering of talented individuals, including its editor-in-chief, Lu Meng, as well as Li Binghong, Wu Yun, Jiang Weipu, Yang Keyang, Zhao Yannian, Qian Hao, Chen Hui, Ju Jijin, and Wang Fuzun. Li Lu was a key member of the editorial team. The revived East China Illustrated News still focused on photographs and paintings (including comic books, cartoons, woodblock prints, New Year pictures, and oil paintings). Inheriting the traditions of the old liberated areas, the Illustrated News placed great importance on comic books, frequently publishing comic book works and releasing titles such as Li Binghong's The Trap and Jiang Yousheng's Li Xiulan. Li Lu himself mentioned that seeing Shao Yu's Land comic book at the National Fine Arts Exhibition left a profound impression on him. The painting successfully depicted the farmers' longing and love for the land, with deeply moving characters, representing a new achievement in Chinese painting. This resonated with his long-held belief that literature should be closely tied to workers and peasants and that literary work should be accessible to the masses. From then on, he became even more determined to dedicate himself to the comic book cause. He immersed himself in textile factories, creating a long comic book work titled Brother Jin, which was serialized in the Shanghai Liberation Daily in June and July 1950. In 1951, he went to Shanghai No. 1 Textile Mill to experience life and created the comic book Afa, serialized in the Labor Daily in November 1951. It can be said that at this time, Li Lu's love for comic books was not just a preference but was also intertwined with his political beliefs and artistic views, laying an ideological foundation for his later leadership of the New Art Publishing House. He believed that comic books, as illustrated popular literature, had great potential and could make significant contributions, deepening his affection for the art form. When Li Lu merged with the East China People's Publishing House, he took charge of the comic book department. Soon after, he was transferred to the newly established New Art Publishing House to continue his work in comic books. He faced the situation of many old comic book creators and a large number of old comic books in the market waiting to be replaced by new works. In the old society, those who engaged in comic book creation did so merely to make a living, without realizing that it should be a noble cultural and artistic pursuit. They only published books according to their bosses' intentions, catering to the lowbrow tastes of readers for profit. After liberation, their socialist awareness and artistic ideas varied greatly, and their understanding of the concept of serving workers, peasants, and soldiers in literature was superficial. In terms of professionalism, most of them began their creative work by imitating their masters' paintings, essentially working in isolation, with significantly lacking cultural and artistic cultivation. Additionally, the old workshop-style production methods of comic books prevented many from working independently; old comic books often lacked scripts or paid little attention to them, greatly hindering the improvement of their content. All of these challenges were placed before Li Lu. With everything in disarray, the bottom line was: produce more books while also nurturing talent. Li Lu embarked on his leadership role in comic books in just this way. Li Lu adhered to the Party's fine traditions, "gathering from the masses and returning to the masses." He deeply engaged with the people, listened attentively, and quickly understood their needs and desires. These desires aligned perfectly with the requirements of his work: to accomplish something well, one must have capable individuals and improve the level of cadres. Therefore, Li Lu immediately organized, including political and professional training, to help everyone strengthen their beliefs and enhance their skills. This learning was based on the masses' voluntary participation and achieved remarkable results, playing a significant role in the early development of the comic book team. First, the organization of collective learning on Party literary theory, primarily focused on The Talks at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art. Now, these principles are well-known to everyone. However, at the time, they were both unfamiliar and fresh, and their impact was indeed significant. Even now, some comrades still vividly recall the heated discussions about "literature being the study of humanity." Especially for those from the old comic book creation circles, through learning, they understood the social mission of comic books and recognized themselves as glorious literary workers in the new society. They shed the old self-consciousness of the old society, where comic books were considered "lowly things," and were filled with morale, diligence, and upward momentum, greatly stimulating their enthusiasm. At the same time, considering that many creators had not had the opportunity for formal art education, Li Lu secured support from superiors and established an evening painting studio within the publishing house to help them catch up. Professional learning became a trend within the publishing house, and it continued for many years after the New Art merged with Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House, significantly improving the quality of comic book manuscripts. While implementing this measure, Li Lu took the lead, "leading from the front," often setting up his easel, squinting his eyes, and concentrating on life drawing exercises. He arrived early and left late, truly setting an example for learning. He never put on airs and his dedication to learning also inspired all the creators to study harder. Li Lu was very strict with himself. He recalled that he did have some overly radical views at the time. For example, he did not fully understand or value traditional painting, considering it to be insufficiently accessible and. Of course, he later realized that this view was one-sided. Therefore, during the period of Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House, he specifically organized a "Chinese Painting Learning Class" as part of the professional learning. Targeting the old workshop-style creation methods of comic books, Li Lu gradually implemented organizational and institutional measures through practice to meet the needs of socialist comic book publishing. Many of the practices still in use today originated from the changes he introduced at that time. Improving the quality of comic books began with reforming the lowbrow and chaotic content of old comic books. Old comic books did not have a strong concept of scripts, and while new comic books emphasized content, the initial procedures were not standardized, and it was not always necessary to write a script before painting. Li Lu had originally required all comic book artists to be involved in the discussion of topic content. Creators and drawers jointly drafted a content outline, then divided to write and draw. This system was implemented for about a year, during which Li Lu gradually recognized the importance of scripts. He then stipulated that all comic book creations must first write a script, which would be reviewed before proceeding with the drawing. From then on, the comic book creation process in Shanghai was institutionalized. This not only ensured the health and completeness of the content and the gradual improvement of quality but also allowed the artistic feature of combining comic book art with literature to develop, mature, and perfect over time. Regarding the issue of scripts, there had always been a debate between original creation and adaptation, and there were also occasional objections to adaptation. Li Lu had seriously considered this issue and believed that, based on reality, since there were already a large number of excellent literary works available (not to mention the rich history and literary heritage of China and the world), why not incorporate them into the urgently needed new topic area of comic books! Original script creation should be encouraged, and adaptation should not be opposed—these were entirely compatible goals. Adapting novels into films or theater is a form of re-creation, and adapting them into comic book scripts is also a form of re-creation (later, it was recognized that comic books also serve to popularize excellent literary works), and it should be valued and respected. For this reason, he organized several thematic discussions on adaptation within the publishing house, encouraging scriptwriters to exchange ideas and explore, gradually improving the quality of adapted scripts. Of course, he also advocated original script creation, especially when artists wrote and drew their own scripts. However, practice has shown that adaptation remains an effective creative approach in China's comic book art to this day. Emphasizing scripts and valuing adaptation cannot be said to have been pioneered by Li Lu, but as a specialized comic book publishing house, the New Art had a large output and a significant influence, setting a trend in the comic book world and having a widespread impact on creative practices. In terms of creation, he demanded that artists realistically portray characters, opposing works that lacked a connection to life. He believed that it was necessary to change the old comic book creation method of imitating masters' works and working in isolation, requiring artists to go to life and for scriptwriters to do the same as much as possible. Under his advocacy and requirements, creators from the old comic book circles began to move out of their attics and small living spaces. Works such as The Path Cannot Be Taken in 1953 and the script and drawing of Returning to the Team (on the theme of flood control in workers' themes) and The Growth of a Mutual Aid Group were all created after long-term fieldwork in factories, rural areas, and flood control sites. The creative path of going to life that Li Lu promoted at the New Art can be said to have set the stage for many later excellent works created through fieldwork, established a "good practice," and paved the way for future generations. The New Art also began to advocate and organize awards and rewards for comic book works within the publishing house. Starting from late 1952, it held internal evaluations every six months, providing material rewards and recognition for works recognized as excellent. For example, He Youzhi and Lu Wen's Battle on the Train and Hong Yintui's Gunshots in the Reeds both won awards in the publishing house's evaluations. He Youzhi and other comic book artists from the New Art in the 1950s went on to gain national and international recognition from the award podiums. It is particularly worth mentioning that in the summer of 1955, the New Art also launched a small 32-page internal professional exchange publication titled Research on Comic Books. The target readers were text editors and art editors from comic book editorial departments across various publishing houses, as well as authors and artists with commission relationships. This publication was dedicated to