Graphic Life Studio:

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.

The Nan Comic Festival

Son of Formosa was in fact Zhou’s first manhua work, and this artist who originally did pure art using print and acrylic media, and created illustrated children’s books, was amazed at the broad impact comic books can have.

Following the publication of his illustrated book Missing Cat Posters in 2013, Zhou, along with his agent Kuo Nai-wen, was invited by the Ministry of Culture to go around the world to book fairs and festivals from Malaysia to Mexico, France to Japan. Kuo says: “At every event I gave out my name card and encouraged people to come to Taiwan, and to be sure to visit Graphic Life Studio.”

Kuo and Zhou met while doing arts education and have known each other for more than 25 years. Ten years ago Kuo proposed founding a studio and gallery called Printsgarden, which they set up in an arts village established by the Tainan City Cultural Affairs Bureau. In 2019 they relocated to Xizhuwei Hills Cultural and Creative Park, where they hold periodic exhibitions and lectures on various art forms, as well as dramatic ­performances.

In 2023 Kuo organized the first “Nan Comic Festival,” and he reveals that the second will be held in December 2024. No matter the theme—historical manhua or Tai­nan’s 400th anniversary—like Son of Formosa it will be a gift to Taiwan and a way for the world to better under­stand this island.