A panorama of Chinese comic strips

Categories: Exhibition / Museums and art centers
Date: 13/02/2018 to 09/09/2018
Time: 10 h 00 - 18 h 00
Location: The Belgian Comic Strip Center
Links: iCal - Google Calendar

The oldest illustrated Chinese book was printed by wood block in the year 868, well before Gutenberg invented the printing press, however manhua (Chinese comic strips), like its Belgian counterpart, did not really take off until the first half of the 20th century. Mr Wang, the first Chinese comic strip hero to make a regular appearance, was born in 1929, the same year as Tintin. And China’s most famous comic strip character, San Mao, was created in 1935, the year of first publication of The Blue Lotus, which recounts Tintin’s adventures in China.
However, Chinese comic strip culture also has the lianhuanhua, which originates from an ancient tradition of telling stories in pictures. These small volumes, measuring 12.5 x 10 cm, were created for the ordinary people. Each told a complete story, with an illustration and narrative on every page and were often printed in millions of copies. Although the printing quality was poor, their illustrations were often genuine little masterpieces.
At the dawn of the 21st century, when China opened up to the world, Chinese authors found new sources of inspiration in European, American and Japanese comic strips and adopted the storyboard with dialogue in each small box. While adult fans took an interest in western-style comic strips, the younger generations, who had been brought up on Japanese cartoons, found a passion for Manga.
Regardless of the genre, it is always the most talented authors in both China and Western Europe who end up making their mark. When you consider that China has a population of 1.3 billion, there is every likelihood that you will discover some of the best authors on the planet in this exhibition.