By Wu Jingyu, adapted by Tsai Chih Chung (Foreign Languages Press, Peking 1976)
ISBN: 7-80028-905-2
As well as the more respectful graphic adaptations of the great literary classics of China, you can find much more ebullient and jolly interpretations to inform, elucidate and amuse. This collection of broad and breezy gags strips are by cartoonist and animated film-maker Tsai Chih Chung where, in a style very similar to Sergio Aragones, he repackages the history, philosophy and wisdom of China’s mythical and Imperial past in funny, exuberant and contemporary daily instalments.
This first volume recounts the lives of the immortal Ne Zha, the mystical Jiang Ziya, Evil King Zhou of Shang and the great King Wen of Zhou in broad slapstick snippets made contemporaneous by the adaptor’s pertinent use of creative anachronism.
One word of warning: Although the cartoons are translated into English (with Chinese subtitles – Mandarin) and copiously footnoted to explain points of detail and literary style, the English captions are plagued with spelling and grammatical mistakes. If you’re particularly picky about copy-errors this might drive you mad, but if you can go with the flow this is a fun and fascinating look into the exotic past and vibrant present of a cultural powerhouse.
Available from Guanghwa Company Ltd. Email: info@guanghwabooks.co.uk
Presumably © 2006 – Tsai Chih Chung my computer can’t reproduce the Mandarin symbols, I’m sure they know who they are. If anyone can tell us we’ll happy correct this oversight. All Rights Reserved, I suspect.