Free and diverse Taiwan
Wen Chun-ya, senior manager for content development at the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) and a driving force behind the Creative Comics Collection (CCC) website, says that one of the most important things about Taiwanese manhua is that in Taiwan there is freedom to explore issues including religious belief and homosexuality (yaoi, a.k.a. “boys’ love” or BL).
“If this were not a country with such advanced gender consciousness, it would be impossible to discuss such serious issues in a relaxed way,” says Wen. It is Taiwan’s freedom and diversity that provide the soil in which this literature can flourish.
Miyako Chang cites last year’s BL comics convention, which drew 7,000 visitors, as a case in point. Many foreign publishers attended, and TAICCA prompted Akiko Hori, co-writer of BL Kyokasho (BL Textbook), to work with Taiwanese manhua creator Gene to develop a manhua serial, and commissioned Gene to produce the cover for a Taiwan edition of BL Kyokasho.
TCB also does matchmaking for manhua creators and engages in interdisciplinary collaboration. Miyako Chang relates this example: Linking Publishing Company sought out TCB to organize a team for a graphic version of Prove Myself: Peng Cheng-min, the autobiography of a retired professional baseball star. The group included the gifted newcomer illustrator Shiro Yang, senior editor Hsiao Nai-chung, and storyboard director Chiang Meiyun. The result was One Million Swings, a comic book which has been serialized on the CCC website since March of 2024 and has gotten a great response.
The creative space on the third floor at TCB provides up-to-date equipment including digital graphics tablets and LED lightboxes.
Manhua creator Tpcat frequently works in TCB’s wenchangwei (the seat most conducive to literary achievement according to fengshui) to deal with the pressure of deadlines.