Tsai Chih-chung exclusive: The power of a cartoon is infinite
Updated 14:07, 01-Oct-2020
Yang Meng
02:27

The 16th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival (CICAF) opened in east China's Hangzhou on Tuesday. Cartoon master Tsai Chih-chung shares his view about the power of cartoons with CGTN.

As one of China's most successful cartoonists, Tsai's work is heavily based on traditional Chinese sinology and classic stories. His relaxing way of drawing makes classic sinology lively, clear, and easy to understand, which not only helps in the enlightenment of children, but also provides an easy way for foreign readers to understand Chinese classical literature.

Tsai says his success is all about the charm of the cartoon itself. He sees the power of the genre as infinite and says it can work as a language of a nation.

Cai Zhizhong's cartoons. /CGTN

Cai Zhizhong's cartoons. /CGTN

For Chinese comics to be accepted by foreign readers, they have to start with a famous story. "Shaolin Temple" is one of Tsai's masterpieces.

"The key point is the cartoon itself," he explains. "You may not know what a book in Hebrew says, but a comic book published in Israel, you'll know it's talking about the Torah or it's talking about Jewish wisdom or it's talking about the Bible, etc."

Tsai has been a professional cartoonist since the age of 15. In 1983, he began to publish his four-panel cartoons in magazines, which were serialized in newspapers in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan for a long time.

In 1986, his "Zhuangzi" was published, taking his career to another level.

To become a master cartoonist is not easy and three requirements are needed, according to Tsai – the ability to draw well, to tell stories by images, and great content.

Cai Zhizhong's books. /CGTN

Cai Zhizhong's books. /CGTN

"If you can only draw, you can only be the assistant of other cartoonists. Just like writing, the ability to write is not equal to qualification as a writer, (knowing how to draw) does not mean you are a cartoonist," he says, stressing the importance of constant reading and learning as well as good understanding of the original story. 

At the first CICAF held in late April 2009, Tsai was visiting Hangzhou for the first time, but now he is an old friend. Any advice for young cartoonists? "Read as much as you can."

Reporter: Yang Meng

Videographer: Shen Langlang

Video editor: Zhang Chunnan

Cover image designer: Chen Yuyang

Project manager: Deng Junfang

Producer: Si Nan

Supervisor: Zhang Shilei