The History of Manhua: The Modernist Era
After exploring the ancient beginnings of the Chinese comics tradition, I take a look at manhua in the early 20th century.
Posted in Culture and tagged art, china, Chinese, comics, culture, history, manhua, satire
Of White Tea and Wuhuang
This year in Britain, summer arrived with a fiery flourish, got chased away by the rain and is now hiding, hesitant to emerge again. A great way to enhance the vibe of this lovely season amidst intermittently grey skies, gusts of wind and rain, is to drink white tea.
Posted in Culture and tagged cats, china, Chinese, comic, culture, feline, illustrator, manhua, review, tea, white tea
The History of Manhua: Beginnings
The roots of comics and cartoons have been in satire throughout the world, and China was no different. 漫画, Manhua, existed as early as the Eastern Han era, where a stone carving had been found in Shandong (author unknown), caricaturing the despotic Xia Jie. During the Five Dynasties period (10th century), the artist Shi Ke’s paintings satirized cruel aristocracy who exploited the poor, in works such as the “Bai Gui Xi Tu” (Frolicking of a Hundred Demons).
Posted in Culture and tagged china, Chinese, comics, culture, history, manhua
Masterpieces of Chinese Painting 700-1900
This last season, London’s theatres, galleries and museums have rolled out a fantastically full programme of exhibitions and plays on China and its culture. Many of those I have reviewed for other publications, but have yet to post anything here. A few of them continue into 2014, but if, in these few days between Christmas and New Year, you have time to visit the V&A, you can still catch “Masterpieces of Chinese Painting 700-1900”
Posted in Commentary and tagged art, Buddhism, china, comics, culture, Daoism, dragons, Gongbi, landscape painting, london, manhua, painting, Qing Dynasty, Suzhou, Tang Dynasty, V & A, Xu Bing