Showing Taiwan to the world through manhua
The four-volume Son of Formosa, written by Yu Peiyun (You Peiyun), tells the story of Tsai Kun-lin, who was imprisoned during the White Terror. After his release Tsai founded the children’s magazine Wangzi (Prince) to carry the torch of Taiwanese manhua, and all his life he promoted human-rights education.
Published in 2021, Son of Formosa has been a huge success, not only collecting major awards in Taiwan but also winning the graphic novel category of France’s Émile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature in 2024. Editions have been published in English, French, Japanese, Korean, German, Italian and Arabic, and translation rights have been sold for Lithuanian. The Japanese edition was published by Iwanami Shoten Publishing, which specializes in serious literature and philosophy, and went through four printings in its first four months on sale.
In 2023 Zhou Jian-xin attended the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France, where he asked purchasers about why they bought his book.
“The first reason was a preference for the ‘genteel’ style of the illustrations. The second was that Taiwan has become a hot topic on European political programs since the start of the Russia‡Ukraine war.” These foreign readers often inquired with concern: “Are you guys safe?” And many told Zhou: “I have been to Taiwan,” or “I am preparing to go to Taiwan.”
Zhou was most impressed by three young women from Lebanon who had studied visual design in Europe. Because of Lebanon’s international situation, they were inspired by Son of Formosa to want to create a similar book to tell Lebanon’s story to the world.
Graphic Life Studio has many illustrated volumes on hand, and periodically hosts special exhibitions and performances.
