RIP to the coauthor of, among dozens of other titles, “Comics Art in China,” still the best English-language introduction to all things manhua and lianhuanhua. John Lent was infinitely curious, and also passionate about connecting likeminded scholars. His presence in the field will be missed.

In time for #MayThe4th: CfP for Chinese Star Wars: Vernacular Readings of a Global Multimedia Phenomenon, edited by @beckminster.bsky.social and me! It will cover a gap in Star Wars scholarship by collecting a variety of studies with a focus on China. Read on: chinacomx.github.io/update/CfPCh...

Off to #AAS2026 in Vancouver — come say hi, and join our panel on “BAD” PEOPLE IN THE PRC: CRIMINALS & VILLAINS UNDER MAO! On Sat., 14 March 2026, at 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM in the VCC, Room 21, w/ @puckengman.bsky.social, Haiyan Lee, @amindarella.bsky.social, Wenqing Kang, and @yyvonwang.bsky.social

In July 1981, the CCP turned 60. Coincidentally, the July issue of Lianhuanhua bao run a comic that contextualized three generations of party members and asked what it actually meant to be a Communist. Read it in original and in my new #ChinaComx translation here: chinacomx.github.io/translations...

Why did Chinese scientists in 1975 embark on an expedition to discover mermaids? My new #ChinaComx translation offers answers! It is also a great example of how the Reform Era drive toward mass science popularization was realized on small scale. Read it here: chinacomx.github.io/translations...

Some snapshots from my current quest to find many (and buy some) lianhuanhua and related historical materials in Shanghai for #ChinaComx. Bottom line: flea markets and second hand bookstores are alive and well!

Added another 80 images over the last two days, bringing the total collection to 385 historical photographs of all kinds of reading acts in twentieth-century China: chinareading.wordpress.com

Just added 50 new photos to my visual repository of reading acts in China, chinareading.wordpress.com -- too many great images to repost here, but these are the four that stood out for me. Go visit the website and browse the 300+ historical photographs of people reading in China!

#DOTD: Feng Zikai 豐子愷 (1898–1975), pioneer Chinese cartoonist #漫畫

Traveling to the UK today for the @chinesestudies.bsky.social annual conference #BACS2025. Together with @beckminster.bsky.social, I co-organize a two-parted panel on all things lianhuanhua: P1 “Politics” and P2 “Aesthetics”, back-to-back on Thu 4.9 in Room SBB 1.02 from 13:00-16:15. Join us then!

Wikipedia editors trying to fend off the onslaught of AI crap have crowdsourced some telltale signs of LLM-generated writing; it might be handy for editors and proofreaders generally. Thanks to @ellenrykers.com for pointing me to it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...

Today, Xueting's Sunday Culture takes a look at the Chinese artist known as 海豹王XX, or Wang XX, whose comics feature a loveable aquatic alter ego and their tiny octopus friend, exploring the trials and tribulations of everyday life in contemporary China (brace yourselves for those bad puns). 1/

I saw today the dramatic effects of global heating up close. This is the Bonhus glacier in SW Norway, the photo on the left is from 1890. Like all glaciers in Norway it is shrinking rapidly.

I had the great pleasure of reading and reviewing Daisy Yan Du’s fascinating explorations in the (pre)history of Chinese animation. A wide ranging study covering puppet animation in the 1930s, ink painting attempts of the 1960s, and their various global afterlives in the 1970s, highly recommended!

In his review of Animated Encounters: Transnational Movements of Chinese Animation by Daisy Yan Du, @damiandamiani.bsky.social examines Du’s claim that Chinese animation was "international before it became national." Read his post at bit.ly/4fBkaM3.

Another exciting week at #ChinaComx! On Tuesday, July 22, we host a workshop with the “Caricature as a Sphere of Communication in the Ottoman Context” project (caricatures.hypotheses.org/499) — and welcome a new visiting scholar, Ivan Gomes, for a keynote on Brazilian caricatures of post-Mao China 🎭

Ahoj from Prague where I am participating in the “Transformations of Cultural Life from Mao to Xi” conference at @charlesuni.cuni.cz. In my paper, I advance the argument that lianhuanhua were both very loud and affective, making it a perfect intermedial medium. ksi.ff.cuni.cz/en/research/...

Celebrations and marches welcoming the Chinese delegation to Dresden in June 1951, notice the crowds holding Mao portraits next to Wilhelm Pieck (GDR president); a still heavily destroyed Theaterplatz visible in the background. Photos by Erich Höhne und Erich Pohl, via Deutsche Fotothek.

This is a map of Los Angeles. The arrow points to a red dot. That red dot (roughly) represents the protest area seen on TV. To me, the gross mischaracterization of what’s happening in Los Angeles looks like an excuse to deploy the military—to protect government assets like ICE.

Mao Zedong in 1956: "Er [i.e., Mao] fragt nach der Sozialdemokratischen Partei (SPD) und bemerkt, dass man sie unterstützen müsse, er hielte ihren Sieg für richtig." (im Gespräch mit G. Weisenborn) hasp.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/journals/cha...

Polanyi on the rise of fascism: "the victory of fascism was made practically unavoidable by the liberals' obstruction of any reform involving planning, regulation, or control."

Many thanks again to Laura de Giorgi and Dayton Lekner for organizing and including me in their workshop! I’ve learned a lot about the sound(s), noise(s) & silence(s) of history and how to extract them, and the venue was—most probably—among the most stunning conference location I’ll ever witness.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK was released on this day 45 years ago

On my way to Venice for the “Sonic Histories of East Asia: Thinking History Through Sound” conference at Ca’ Foscari — I will humbly join a splendid line up of speakers to present on the various sounds of collective reading activities in the PRC. Come say hello if you’re around!

May the fourth be with you!

La envidia que me ha provocado saber del taller de #連環畫 lianhuanhua que el doctor @damiandamiani.bsky.social del Centro de Estudios Asiáticos y Transculturales de la Universidad de Heidelberg llevó a cabo la semana pasada me ha hecho bajar al trastero de casa de mis padres a rescatar este tesoro.

The first #ChinaComx workshop last week was a great success! Engaged discussions, provocative questions, fun talks, and overall a greatly inspiring two-and-half days of engaging with lianhuanhua and other Chinese comics. Thanks to all participants for taking their time!

In just over a week, we invite all scholars and students of Chinese comics to Heidelberg for our first #ChinaComx workshop! Revolving around the theme "Lianhuanhua as Method", expect lively discussions and fascinating case studies. For the program and details, go to: tinyurl.com/LianhuanhuaA... 🌟

New! 💥 We just added a first version of THE CHINACOMX LIANHUANHUA BIBLIOGRAPHY! 📚 Collecting over 250 items in Chinese, English, Japanese and more, it is an invitation to explore Chinese comics' scholarship. Your comprehensive guide to all things #lianhuanhua is here: chinacomx.github.io/resources/

Our research project #ChinaComx had the opportunity to once again spend a few fruitful days browsing the largely untapped lianhuanhua collection at the Berlin State Library. New gems discovered, including a multi-volume series of weiqi (go) manuals in comics form. Thanks @stabiberlin.bsky.social!

Small two-sided cartoon from a comics pictorial from 1952 China during the Three Anti, Five Anti campaign to combat corruption and wasteful bureaucracy: “Before the cadre gets trapped: Enticement / After the cadre gets trapped: Threat” — turn your phone upside down!

Lianhuanhua interpretations of four Chinese emperors by Lu Yanguang 卢延光 from the November 1987 issue of China Picture-story (中国连环画): Gouojian of Yue (520?-465 BCE), Guangwu of Han (5 BCE-57 CE), Cao Cao (155-220 CE) the so-called Emperor Wu of Wei, and Wu Zetian of Zhou (690-705 CE).

The Gang of Four, quite literally bringing capitalism back from the dead to reign supreme over China once again. Caricature titled "Ganging up for restoration" 结帮为了复辟 by Ge Qinglun and Sun Xiaofei, ca. 1977.

Don’t judge a book by its cover, they say. Insanely beautifully designed book covers, they do.

Today, Xueting's Sunday Culture looks at the awesome art of the Chinese posters for Western movies. #popculture snowpavilion.co.uk/chinese-post...

Short thread on the very first official Chinese Star Wars comic ⤵️ #ChineseStarWars #StarWars #lianhuanhua

In 1981, the Chinese science-fiction monthly 奥秘 (Aomi) featured Russ Manning’s first run of Star Wars comic strips. Collected and re-arranged to fit a fullpage format, the comics remained virtually identical to their American original—if not for one key difference. Let’s look at one exemplary strip.

For the first time since WWII, an extreme right party came 2nd in German national elections. Their rise was fueled by austerity and free market economics. To defeat the far right, we must adopt an anti-fascist economic policy that provides an alternative to the status quo.

C’est le premier livre sur le sujet!

Look at this new work of art I made yesterday. 😂 One thing that often happens is people get very confused about what is wuxia, xianxia, and xuanhuan due to lack of understanding about the terms. So I made this venn diagram to help. 😂

So you know that asteroid Bennu? The one that might hit Earth in 2182 CE. Someone went ahead at simulated what that's going to do to climate and ecology. Want to guess what the outcomes were? (hint: it will help lower surface temperatures) 🧪⚒️ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

«With rapidity that has stunned even longtime political observers, forces loyal to Musk’s junta have established him as the all-but undisputed unelected head of government in just a matter of days, unwinding the longtime democracy’s constitutional system ...» www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/musk-s-jun...

Der Forschungsstand ist klar: Wenn demokratische Parteien rechtspopulistische Erzählungen/Politik übernehmen/nachzuahmen versuchen, hilft das nur rechtspopulistischen Parteien. Expert*innen warnen deswegen seit JAHREN. Niemand kann sagen, man hätte es ja nicht gewusst.

"A new website for the China Studies Digital Archives Mapping Project offers a free guide to open databases for China studies research, as well as a list of leading university libraries that offer services to unaffiliated scholars." www.acls.org/news/acls-ex...

Save the date: 24-26 April the #ChinaComx project welcomes to CATS @uniheidelberg.bsky.social for a hands-on workshop on all things Chinese comics! With keynotes by Barbara Mittler and Stephan Packard, and a dozen presenters & discussants, it is to treat lianhuanhua as research method. Details soon!

1/ Why does the U.S. seem to be caught off guard so often by what China or Chinese companies accomplish? Here’s an off-the-top-of-my head thread unpacking some reasons—structural, cultural, and epistemological—for this recurring phenomenon.

Here’s the back cover of a 1980s lianhuanhua adaption series of William Shirer’s The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, for no particular reason…