(Ecns.cn)--Directed by Steven Spielberg, "The Adventures of Tintin," a 3D film adapted from the famous classic comic book of the same name, was released in China last week, triggering a new wave of interest among fans here.
Created by Belgian artist Georges Remi under the penname "Herge" in 1929, the hero of "The Adventures of Tintin" travels to every corner of the world. Some loyal fans have even followed in Tintin's footsteps, touring the globe taking pictures of locations depicted in the comic.
At the age of 22, Herge started creating Tintin stories while he was an editor at a Belgian newspaper. He would often do large amounts of research on geography, science and other fields in order to create authenticity in the comic.
However, he also included some of his own ideas in the stories, which led to accusations of racism in some of Tintin's earlier adventures, especially those set in Africa. Later, after hearing stories about China, Herge decided to write a Tintin tale set here.
After announcing the decision, Herge received a letter from Father Gosset, a chaplain to Chinese students at the University of Leuven, who urged him to be cautious about his depiction of China, and introduced him to a Chinese student named Zhang Chongren to help him learn more.
At that time Zhang was a sculpture student at the Brussels Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts. He soon became close friends with Herge, and translated poetry by Du Fu and Li Bai to teach him more about the real China.
According to Herge's autobiography, Zhang opened a door for him to Chinese culture, which was completely knew to him, and taught him about friendship and responsibility.
Zhang also taught Herge traditional Chinese techniques for drawing, which Herge used in his comics and helped create a new artistic style in Europe.
In 1936, Herge finished his story called "The Blue Lotus," which dealt with Japan's invasion of China, and attracted wide attention from both countries. Soong May-ling, first lady of the Republic of China, invited Herge to China, yet Japan was annoyed by the book and asked the government to ban it.
The comic was otherwise well received and spoken highly of for a long time, but Zhang was not able to enjoy the fame. He graduated from school and went back to China in 1934.
After that, the two friends lost contact for a long period, but Herge never gave up on finding Zhang. In 1981, half a century later, Zhang took a plane to Brussels, where the old friends were reunited once again.
Though Zhang did not share Herge's fame, his name was remembered by many, especially readers in French-speaking areas. A local newspaper spent three months reporting on their meeting, and sent Zhang a printer with his family name carved on it as a gift.
According to the Ministry of Culture in France, about one billion people who speak French all over the world know of Zhang. "The man helped us to learn the beauty of China, and 'The Blue Lotus' was the first gift I gave to my children," said a French woman.
In 2001, in a bid to educate more young people about Tintin, China imported the original version of the comic. In 2009, teachers at the Beijing Foreign Studies University translated the French version and published the books, since previously they had all been translated from English.
Modern fans of Tintin use different ways to show their respect for the cartoon hero. Some have opened shops selling items related to the comic, and launched Web sites or opened forums to discuss the books.
The movie by Spielberg shows that people in different places still respect the cartoon hero. If Herge is still alive, he must be glad to see that his work is still loved, especially by young people, said a Chinese Tintin fan.
