Representatives from co-organizers and comics professionals join on a video call at the event. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Young talent from China, Japan and the Republic of Korea will use comic creativity to boost cultural exchange thanks to a new contest.
The Wukong Cup Comic Contest 2020 for Youths Among China, Japan and the ROK opened in Beijing on July 22. It aims to encourage young cartoonists, showcase the countries' diverse cultures via comics and promote mutual understanding.
Sun Wukong is a classic character who embodies intelligence and bravery, and has been a popular element...
Gao Anming, vicepresident of the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration
The launch ceremony exhibited anti-pandemic comics by established artists from over 10 countries, including China, Japan, the ROK, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Three comic artists from China, Japan and the ROK attended the ceremony on the spot or "appeared "via video call, highlighting their work depicting the battle against COVID-19. A young female cartoonist known as Cookie attended as a representative from China.
She says: "Fighting against the pandemic is like fighting against monsters, so I drew three fully armed characters in protective suits, who represent the three countries, together fighting against the monster that is coronavirus. Our countries are united in this battle."
Apart from introducing her creative process, Cookie says that the competition is an opportunity for novice cartoonists to gain expertise and learn more about the world. The most important thing in this process, rather than winning awards, is to improve oneself and befriend like-minded people, she says.
"Don't be nervous, listen to your inner voice, create to your heart's content, and given the opportunities, communicate with cartoonists from other countries and learn from each other," she adds, providing tips for those interested in participating in the competition.
Cartoonists, including Cookie (first from left), attend the recent launch of the Wukong Cup Comic Contest 2020 for Youths Among China, Japan and ROK in Beijing. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Hosted by the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, the contest is jointly organized by companies from the three countries, including People's China magazine, video platform Bilibili, Japanese animation giant Kadokawa Corp, and IIE Star Inc, a Chinese company with a focus on comics. It consists of two sectors for contestants under and over 18. Works in the form of long comic strips, short comics and one-page comics will compete for three grand awards and nine subordinate awards.
There's no defined subject for the submitted artworks, although the competition has provided a topic for reference, welcoming works that feature mutual support of the three countries in helping one another and fighting the pandemic.
At the eighth China-Japan-ROK trilateral summit meeting in December 2019, Premier Li Keqiang highlighted the popularity of comic art among young people and expressed the hope that the contest will "promote artistic exchanges between the three countries, enhance the friendship among young people and pass it on to the next generation".
The name of the competition comes from Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King, a main character from classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.
Gao Anming, vice-president of the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, says: "Sun Wukong is a classic character who embodies intelligence and bravery, and has been a popular element in the comic and animation works of the three countries."
The three key phrases for the competition are "riding a cloud", "roaming freely" and "chasing dreams", implying the wish that contestants can explore the world of comics and realize their dreams.
The contest's mascot, a comic rendition of Wukong, was also unveiled. Its facial design draws from the style of Peking Opera face painting. Using the five colors of red, yellow, blue, white and black, the design integrates the colors of the three countries' national flags and embodies the values of Eastern philosophy.
Editor-in-chief of People's China Wang Zhongyi says: "The colors of red, blue and yellow respectively represent bravery, honesty and wisdom. The black and white represent the dialectical philosophy of the unity of the opposites.
"Also, this Wukong does not have the conventional golden hoop on his head (used to control him). It's our hope that people can free their minds and create without inhibition."
