He Youzhi's comic Pang Sao Hui Niang Jia. (Photo/cri.cn)
Before the prevalence of TV in China in the 1980s, comic books were an ubiquitous form of entertainment that many Chinese of a certain generation grew up with. One of the comic book world's most beloved creators, He Youzhi, passed away in March this year. Born in Shanghai in 1922, He spent more than half a century creating comics. He painted some 90 comic series, and even had new works in his 90s.
His comic adaptation of the novel Shan Xiang Ju Bian (《山乡巨变》) is a milestone of Chinese comic art style, in which he used the traditional line drawing of Chinese painting. He went to Hunan province where he drew much of his inspiration for his comic books. He adapted many novels and animations into comics, such Lu Xun’s White Light (《白光》) and the 1956 animated film Pang Sao Hui Niang Jia (《胖嫂回娘家》).
