Zhang Leping facts for kids

Zhang Leping (simplified Chinese: 张乐平; traditional Chinese: 張樂平; pinyin: Zhāng Lèpíng) was a famous Chinese comic artist. He was born on November 10, 1910, in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, China. He helped create modern Chinese comics, called manhua. Zhang Leping is best known for his popular comic character, Sanmao. He passed away on September 27, 1992, at the age of 81.

Early Life and Art Beginnings

Zhang Leping faced a tough childhood. In 1924, he was very poor and had to stop going to primary school. In 1927, his home area was affected by the Northern Expedition army.

By 1928, when he was 18, his relatives and teachers helped him. He was able to go back to school to study art formally.

Comics for a Cause

In 1932, an event called the January 28 Incident happened. This made his art skills very important. China started using comics to create anti-Japanese messages in newspapers.

Zhang Leping's career as a comic artist officially began in 1934. Just one year later, he joined a team that made anti-Japanese comic messages.

In 1935, he created his most famous character, Sanmao. His main goal was to show how hard life was during the Japanese invasion of China. He wanted to show this through the eyes of children, especially orphans. Sanmao became a symbol for these young victims on the streets.

Later Career and Achievements

In the 1950s, Zhang Leping worked for several publishing houses in Shanghai. These included the Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House and the Shanghai Youth and Children's Publishing House. He also worked for the Liberation Daily newspaper.

Challenges and Return to Sanmao

During the Cultural Revolution, Zhang Leping faced difficulties. He was forced to stop drawing comics for a while. After the Cultural Revolution ended, he moved to the Children's Publishing House.

On June 1, 1977, after ten years, Zhang Leping brought his Sanmao comic back.

Awards and Final Works

In 1983, Zhang Leping received a special award. It was called the "National Advanced Children and Young Workers" award. In the same year, he got Parkinson's disease. This made drawing difficult, but he kept creating cartoons.

In 1985, he won the "Yushu Award." He also became the editor-in-chief of Shanghai's Manga World magazine. His last comic strip, called People to Old Age, was made in 1986.

In 1989, a famous Taiwanese writer named Sanmao came to Shanghai to meet him. He admired her writing very much. In his later years, Zhang Leping worked hard to improve cultural connections between mainland China and Taiwan.

In 1991, he won a special prize for his essay People's Cross-Strait Love. This award was from the Central People's Broadcasting Station. On April 4, 1991, his very last comic book, "Cat Feeding Rats," was published. Later that year, Zhang decided to give the original drawings of Sanmao to the Shanghai Art Museum.

Zhang Leping passed away on September 27, 1992, in Shanghai. He was 81 years old.

His Sanmao comics were translated into many languages. They were introduced to other countries. The Sanmao character also appeared in movies, cartoons, and stage plays.

Legacy of Sanmao

After Zhang Leping's death, his family went to court in 1997. They wanted to decide who owned the rights to the Sanmao character and comics. The court mostly decided in favor of his wife and children.

In 2016, the Zhang Leping Picture Book Award was created. This award honors his work and encourages new artists.