My Comic Life - Zhang Leping

Author: Zhang Leping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Fifteen years ago, I began to draw Sanmao. At that time, it seemed that there were still few Chinese cartoonists who had attempted to create comics without dialogue; readers also had not yet developed a habit of appreciating comics without text. Especially for long serial comics, the author seemed to need to add some text to supplement the inadequacies of the drawings, and readers were accustomed to understanding the meaning of the scenes through the medium of text. When I drew Sanmao, of course, it was an adventurous attempt! I wanted to minimize the use of text and let readers understand what they needed to know through the lines in my drawings. But I had too little experience with life. Taking the Sanmao I wanted to create as an example, although countless 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 had a thorough understanding of Sanmao’s life. I couldn’t guarantee that my brush could faithfully convey Sanmao’s true face to the readers without any flaws. But I had courageously abandoned the use of lengthy text 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 place to shelter from wind and rain. Let alone enjoying the warmth of a family or receiving good education. In our good society, these little people are everywhere; they are filled with those who are called the future masters of China; they are filled with the so-called second generation reborn. 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 my observations were still incomplete, my heart’s love for humanity and for the thousands upon 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 cared about my own hardships, nor did I think about 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, in the process of creating Sanmao, what comforted me the most was that thousands upon thousands of children, known and unknown, loved to read about Sanmao. Especially after the victory of the War of Resistance, the "Sanmao Joins the Army" and "Sanmao’s Wandering" I published in the "Shanghai News" and "China Daily" received widespread support from readers. They cried for Sanmao’s suffering and rejoiced at Sanmao’s happiness. Countless readers, known and unknown, often shared the joys and sorrows of the Sanmao in the drawings. I often received letters like this from readers: "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. Although this sweater is small, it might slightly protect Sanmao from the cold and give him a little warmth. This would bring peace to thousands of readers." This is just one of the countless heartwarming examples. I am often moved by these pure and great