No joke as origin of comics in China honors art form

The first large-scale showcase of comics in China, featuring vintage editions from the early 1900s to contemporary creations by artists from all over the world, is now taking place in Shanghai.

Held at Marie's Gallery in Minhang district, the exhibition, Love Letters to Shanghai, features 489 comics and cartoons created by 96 artists. More than 100 of these works are by artists from 35 foreign countries and regions.

"Comics tell stories about this city," says Zheng Xinyao, chairman of the Shanghai Artists Association, the co-organizer of the show.

According to Zheng, the city's vibe, food, sights, customs, people and traffic can all be found in the comics.

Comics and cartoons made their first appearance in the country in the early 1900s, and Shanghai is believed to be their birthplace in China. Shanghai newspaper Jingzhong Daily introduced China's first comic column in 1904 when the Chinese name for cartoon or comics, manhua, was first used. In the 1920s, a weekly comic magazine, Shanghai Manhua, was launched. The first generation of comic artists in Shanghai, including Feng Zikai, Zhang Guangyu and Zhang Leping, are featured at the "tribute to the classics" section of the show.

Some of the artworks are on their first public show after being contributed by the families of the late artists. Among the works is a drawing by Wan Laiming (1900-97), recognized as the father of animation films in China, which shows elements of the avant-garde cubism style of the period.

According to Zhao Weiqun, deputy director of the Shanghai Animation and Cartoon Association, a co-organizer of the show, comics are not defined by their media, but rather the ideas behind the creation. As long as an artwork illustrates a particular subject through humorous, satirical or hyperbolic visual expressions, it is defined as comic art, he says. Such versatility means the art form can depict different aspects of life.

Xinmin Evening News is the third co-organizer of the show. The paper has been a major publisher of comics in Shanghai through the past decades. Many artists, such as Zheng, used to have comic columns in the paper.

In his work Safety in Shanghai, Shi Wei, a part-time cartoonist featured at the exhibition, combines a police car with a watch dial to show that 24-hour patrols safeguard residents of the city. He says the inspiration behind the work came from a chat with a police officer when he was on his way home.

One of the international artists featured is Samuel Porteous, an artist-in-residence at Nanxiang, Jiading district. The Canadian says Shanghai has seen fast development and cross-cultural communication.

"Here, you can see both new and old things, as well as Eastern and Western cultures," says Porteous, adding that he is fascinated with local details such as people playing Chinese chess beside the road.

Wang Jingyi contributed to the story.

If you go

Love Letters to Shanghai

9 am-5 pm, until Feb 25. Marie's Gallery, 3300 Yan'an Road West, Minhang district, Shanghai.