My Comic Life: Zhang Leping

Author: Zhang Leping
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
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. Moreover, readers had not yet developed a habit of appreciating comics that lacked verbal explanations. Especially for long-running serialized comics, it seemed that the author had to add some text to supplement the inadequacies of the illustrations, and readers were accustomed to understanding the meaning of the scenes through the medium of words. 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. But my life experiences were too limited. Taking the Sanmao I wanted to create as an example, although countless Sanmaos surrounded me, I grew up alongside them, body to body and heart to heart. I could even say, "I grew up in Sanmao's world!" Even so, I still couldn't say that I had a thorough understanding of Sanmao's life. I wasn't even sure that my brush could accurately convey Sanmao's true face without any flaws to the readers. But I had the courage to abandon 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 place to shelter from wind and rain. Let alone enjoying the warmth of a loving family or receiving a good education. Our good society was filled with these little people; filled with these so-called future masters of China; 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 who grew 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 toil, 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 fifteen years of creating Sanmao, what gave me comfort was that thousands upon thousands of children, known and unknown, loved to read about Sanmao. Especially after the victory in the War of Resistance, the "Sanmao Joins the Army" and "Sanmao's Adventures" 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 readers, known and unknown, often shared the joys and sorrows of the Sanmao in the illustrations. 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. Although this sweater is small, it might slightly protect Sanmao from the cold and give him a little warmth. This would bring peace of mind to thousands of readers." This is just one of the countless heartwarming examples. I am often moved by these pure and great