Honoring a Chinese Comic Legend

A look at the life of zhang leping,one of china's mosr renowned cartoon artists Whose Sanmao senries has touched the Lives of millions

While children in the United States grew up watching the likes of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck on their television screens, kids in China kept themselves entertained with a domestically-made cartoon character.

Instead of an animal, this popular Chinese cartoon character was a human boy named Sanmao who was created in the mid-1930s, around the same time as Donald Duck. His name, which literally means "three hairs" in Chinese, is a reference to the three strands of hair on his bald scalp.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of Winter of Three Hairs, the most successful Sanmao comic book ever published. Created by the late Zhang Leping, one of China's most acclaimed comic artists, the book has a print-run of more than 10 million copies. It is also listed as one of the 100 must-read books by China's Ministry of Education.

Sanmao is about the story of an orphan who moves to Shanghai to earn a living. He takes on multiple jobs such as selling newspapers, polishing shoes and performing kungfu. Despite his efforts, Sanmao is unable to make ends meet. He sleeps on the streets and is often subjected to humiliation from other members of society.

Despite his predicament, the character is a kind and compassionate boy who often shares whatever little food he has with beggars. He is also a man of integrity, depicted by his refusal to join a gang of thieves that promised to feed him every day in exchange for his services.

Tough teenage years

Zhang was born in Haiyan, Zhejiang province in 1910. Life was not easy as his father, who worked as a primary school teacher, did not make enough to support the family of six. Life got harder after Zhang's mother died when he was just 9.

After completing his primary school education, Zhang was forced to discontinue his studies in order to work and support the family. He first worked as an apprentice in a nearby wood factory before finding a job at a printing plant in the suburbs of Shanghai in 1923. During this period he took on several short-term jobs. Many of the bosses he worked for were rude and often beat up their workers. These men are depicted in Winter of Three Hairs.

In the old days, beating up an apprentice was considered normal because people believed that it was only through hardship that the best craftsmen could be produced. Zhang hated this way of life. After teaching himself how to paint for several years and publishing drawings in newspapers, Zhang started to build up his reputation as a comic artist.

In 1935, Zhang's first painting of Sanmao was created. It depicted a boy living in a typical lane house in Shanghai. During the Anti-Japanese War (1931-45), the story of Sanmao was based on Zhang's own experiences as a member of the anti-Japanese intrusion publicity team. Sanmao's life after the war took a turn for the better as he went to school and studied science, his favorite subject.

The Ta Kung Pao newspaper in Shanghai started to print comic strips from Winter of Three Hairs on June 15, 1947. The first publication comprising six pictures depicted how Sanmao was sad about not having parents. Over the course of the next two years, the comic series quickly gain prominence in the country.

"Sanmao lives on the street, why can't you treat him better? I would like to invite him to live at my home," wrote one furious reader to the publisher.

Even the famous Soong Ching-ling (the wife of Sun Yat-sen), dubbed as the "mother of modern China", joined the national conversation in 1949. She wrote: "Mr Zhang has done a great deed for homeless children and we are very appreciative of that. All the 'Sanmaos' in the country will never forget this."

Dai Dunbang, another famous Chinese artist, once praised the skills of Zhang, saying that the comic strips seem to come alive because of the way he draws the characters and how he introduces delicate differences in various backgrounds.

In October 1949, a movie based on the comic book premiered. As it was the first public movie in the newly founded People's Republic of China, it won great popularity.

The ideas behind the comic

According to Zhang Weijun, the youngest child of the late artist, most of the scenes in the comic series were based on the real-life experiences of his father.

The 63-year-old, who called himself Sanmao's younger brother, is today in charge of promoting the comic title. He has in recent years helped organize exhibitions of Sanmao in countries such as South Korea, Belgium, Australia and Mauritius.

Zhang recalled that his father had come across three homeless children on a snowy night in Shanghai in 1947. The children, who were dressed in worn-out clothing, covered their bodies with sacks to stay warm and were gathered around a small iron can that held a fire.

When the artist passed by the same location the next morning, he saw the frozen corpses of two of the children being loaded onto a vehicle.

"That incident shocked my father and led him to create the book to reflect the harsh lives of homeless children," said Zhang.

China was rife with chaos from 1927 to 1949 because of civil conflicts, the Anti-Japanese War and natural disasters, and this resulted in millions of refugees relocating to bigger cities like Shanghai. Many readers thought that this could've been Sanmao's background.

To understand the life of homeless people, Zhang Leping went to Chen Jia Mu Qiao, a gathering place of such individuals in Shanghai. However, none of the children wanted to speak to him.

"Someone even rolled his eye at my father and that made him upset. My father later discovered that the problem was his suit. He realized that in the eyes of the poor, anyone who wore nice clothes were considered rich people, and such individuals usually bullied and humiliated the homeless people," said Zhang.

The artist then resorted to wearing worn-out clothing and giving out pies to the homeless people. Gradually, the children started warming up to him. Some of their stories have even been featured in the comic series.

For instance, the episode about a young beggar tempting Sanmao to become a thief was based on a true story he heard from these homeless children. During those days, homeless children would often resort to helping gangsters steal in exchange for food.

Zhang also recalled how his father was very serious about his work.

"He would paint the same picture over and over again until he was satisfied with every little detail. He always got angry when the seven of us children were noisy during his painting sessions," he said.

While the book was loved by many in society, the artist also received threats.

"My father once received a letter containing a bullet inside," said Zhang. "He thought it could have been a threat from local ruffians as he painted several ferocious and greedy gangsters in the book and showed how much Sanmao hated them."

A heart of gold

Because they loved children so much, Zhang Leping and his wife Feng Chuyin - the couple had seven biological children - helped raise several kids from friends and relatives who could not afford to.

Zhang Weijun remembered that his mother always used the family's biggest pot to prepare rice every day for friends and relatives facing financial difficulty. The family would often house homeless orphans as well. Because of this, the small two-story villa the Zhang's lived in had many beds and sofas that came in different sizes.

The late artist was also passionate about drawing for children. He once wrote in his late years when he was suffering from Parkinson's disease: "My only pain is that my shaking hands can't paint for young readers anymore."

He also expressed his regret at the imperfect drawings he did for a new painting titled Sanmao Eats Watermelon which was released ahead of Children's Day in 1989. Nevertheless, the artist still received many letters from his young readers praising him for his dedication and expressing hope that he would recover soon.

In 1992, Zhang died in Shanghai at the age of 82.

With the assistance of the Xuhui district government in 2016, the Zhang family vacated their residence on Wuyuan Road and turned it into a memorial gallery. Thousands of Sanmao fans lined the streets in the first few days following the opening of the gallery which showcases the original scripts, drawings and videos related to the comic series. Visitors can also view the artist's study room which has been kept in its original condition.

"I am a little surprised to see that Sanmao, who is technically 82 years old, can still win the hearts of readers of various ages today. Generations of young parents are still buying Sanmao books for their children just like their parents did for them dozens of years ago," said Zhang Weijun.

"Though society has developed quickly and poor kids like Sanmao hardly exist in Shanghai anymore, people can still connect to the character's optimism and his willingness to help others.

"Once, when I was visiting my father's tomb, an official told me that a man from northern China had spent a long time by the tomb. The man said my father once helped him at his most difficult time."

Seeing how the comic has touched the lives of so many people, Zhang is now planning to turn Sanmao into an ambassador for charity.

"I hope Sanmao can soon walk out of the comic books to attend more charity events in the future."

xuxiaomin@chinadaily.com.cn