Lianhuanhua “Journey to the West”: landmark works in the history of Chinese graphic novels

Abstract

This article explores the results of synthesizing the literary narrative of the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West with its graphic embodiment in the form of lianhuanhua, a unique Chinese art form. Lianhuanhua, a synthesis of art forms, employs sequential images and concise textual explanations to present and visualize complex literary works, making them accessible to a broad audience. The study aims to underscore the cultural and historical significance of lianhuanhua as a distinctive art form, while also illuminating the evolution of Chinese visual arts. The article examines significant editions of Journey to the West in lianhuanhua versions from the early 1920s to the founding of the People's Republic of China, analysing how these versions, through artistic innovation and the combination of different forms, reflect the cultural characteristics and artistic styles of different historical periods. The paper explores the different perspectives of three different versions of the lianhuanhua Journey to the West in order to identify changes in visual style. In the late 1920s, lianhuanhua Journeys to the West underwent a transition from the traditional flattened and primitive Chinese theatrical style to the integration of Western perspective, which gradually led to the modernization of the visual style of lianhuanhua works with different themes. This transition is particularly evident in the works of the 1950s and 1960s, which drew upon Western artistic techniques, endowing the works with a heightened sense of spatial depth and expressiveness. In the process of evolving its visual style, lianhuanhua not only contributed to the broader dissemination of the Journey to the West narrative, but also became an integral component of the modernization of Chinese painting. This study proposes an examination of the use of mythological works as a basis for creating visual narrative forms that embody their cultural and artistic characteristics. This opens up new possibilities for the preservation and dissemination of classical literary texts. The authors of the article conclude that lianhuanhua, a particular direction of Chinese art, relies on significant classical literary works and contributes to the evolution of visual art in the 20th century. They also argue that it is a tool for transmitting important cultural and historical values.