China Fables in Ink-and-Wash

THE eight stories that make up

the Ink-and-Wash Picture Books of Classic Chinese Stories series are known and told in every Chinese household. Compiled and illustrated by eminent pre-school art educator Cui Yan， these classic tales， vividly and colorfully portrayed in traditional ink and wash style， are a perennial favorite among young readers.

Having made its debut in 17th century Europe， the picture book genre reached its pinnacle in the 1930s. Many artists， whose distinctive works are still popular among children today， became well known during that decade. But it was not until a dozen or so years ago that picture？books？first？appeared？in？China.？ Those most popular were imported from the U.S.， Europe and Japan. Locally produced picture books were few.

The Ink-and-Wash Picture Books of Classic Chinese Stories， jointly published by China Intercontinental Press and New Times Press， is impressive in presenting classic Chinese fables through the medium of ink-andwash paintings in a Chinese-English edition. A celebration of traditional Chinese culture and art， these books will add a scintillating new facet to the childrens book market.

The series includes eight stories， Little Tadpoles Looking for Mom； The Snipe and the Clam； The Sly Fox； The Winter-Cry Bird； Monkey Mountain； Little Carp Jump the Dragons Gate； Three Little Mice； and Jinba the Little Mouse. Contemporary Chinese adults remember them fondly as bedtime tales.

With animals as their protagonists， these stories are simple， engaging， and？reflect？everyday？homespun？ wisdom. Parents would read to their children the traditional fables Little Tadpoles Looking for Mom， Little Carp Jump the Dragons Gate， and The Winter-Cry Bird in hopes of instilling in them the qualities of persistence， bravery， and diligence. Monkey Mountain is adapted from the folk tale Monkey Parody， and The Sly Fox is based on the Chinese proverb“Grapes are deemed sour only when beyond reach.” Three Little Mice is inspired by a well-known folk ballad. Originating in Stratagems of the Warring States， The Snipe and the Clam is a familiar Chinese idiom whose implicit meaning is that when neighbors？fight，？nobody？wins. Jinba the Little Mouse is a well-known Tibetan tale.

Authoress Cui Yan adapted and expanded everyday idioms and proverbs into the books storylines. Taking The Three Little Mice as an example， the folk ballad in which it originates consists of just three sentences – “Little mouse climbs the lampstand to steal oil， cannot get？down，？finally？rolls？over？and？ down.” Cui Yan added to the ditty the character “Big Bear.” Portrayed as an adult， the burly， stout and ponderous Big Bear goes to work every day and on coming home eats dinner and goes to bed. The little mice， on the other hand， are like naughty children – small， sensitive and hyperactive. But their curiosity causes the Big Bears house to burn down. Acknowledging their guilt， the three little mice help Big Bear to build a new home. They then move in， and all four live happily together.endprint

The series ink-and-wash illustrations are perhaps its most distinctive feature. A childrens art educator of 30 years standing， having herself been tutored in art by famous landscape painter He Jinghan， Cui Yans theoretical and practical experience have given her insight into child psychology. Her artistry hence cannot fail to appeal to children.

A main principle of traditional Chinese painting is that of “conserving white space” or leaving space enough for the viewers imagination？to？fill？in？the？blanks.？Cui？Yans？ picture books are composed on this basis. As young readers have limited vocabulary， they rely on her pictures to understand the stories. As well as supplementing the text， therefore， her paintings actually convey its themes. Cui Yans series thus transcends the convention of pictures as mere illustrations， because her works combine artistic creation with literary succinctness. Picture book paintings should indeed be imaginative while at the same time connoting the tales implied meaning， which the accompanying text endorses.

Cuis use of the freehand brushwork in traditional Chinese painting meticulously， but not over-elaborately， depicts the animal characters. Their movements and facial expressions are， as in contemporary childrens cartoons， larger than life and dynamic. The background of clouds and rivers are executed in the “line drawing”technique， and include rocks， plants and ingeniously embedded seals. Cui thus renders every page a discrete Chinese painting.

Cuis painstaking attention to detail in portraying the animal characters is apparent in Monkey Mountain. She differentiates the seven monkey characters in the story by giving each its own color and posture， coloring pink the most irresistible ape. Pictures in The Winter-Cry Bird are resplendent in portrayals of more than ten species？of？flowers，？ferns，？trees，？and？ fruits， so presenting children with images of the natural glory of spring， bountiful autumn harvests and stark winter bleakness.

Last but not least， the picture books are bilingual， the main body in English and the last two pages showing the text in Chinese characters and pinyin. Growing globalization and intensified？cultural？communication，？ along with the prospering Chinese economy， have drawn international attention to China. This picture book series and the distillation of Chinese culture？it？presents？could？well？find？its？ niche in the international childrens book market. Children the world over may then discover and enjoy traditional？Chinese？art，？and？also？benefit？ from venerable Oriental wisdom.endprint