If asked to name the most famous cartoon character from their country, Americans may say Mickey Mouse. And people in Belgium would pmention Tintin. And in China, the title may go to Sanmao, a thin boy w only three hairs on his head, who was created by the late comic artist Zhang Leping (1910-1992)
On March 26, Zhang was given the Special Honor award at the 2018 International lustrated Silent Book Contest. Zhang is the first Chinese cartoon is to ever rthis prize.
The story of Sanmao starts with his moving to Shanghai. As an orphan (孤儿), Sanmao has n to depend on and has to take on many different jobs, such as selling newspapers, and performing kung fu. But still it's h for him to afford the cost of living. He has to sleep on the streets and is often laughed at by strangers.
A his living conditions are poor, Sanmao is a kind boy who often shares his food with homeless people. He is also a boy of integrity (正直的). For example, he once rto join a group of thieves who promised to feed him every day in exchange for his services.
From his story, people learn about the most turbulent (动荡的) moments of Chinese h.
This is why even though Sanmao is often seen as "China's Tintin", his tale is c to be much darker than that of the Belgian character. The birth of Sanmao also filed a blank (空白) in the Chinese comic i, Using the skill of line-drawing, Zhang wrote no dialogue and used the simplest brushwork to show the life in old Shanghai
