Shenzhen (comic)
Encyclopedia
Shenzhen (published in English as Shenzhen: A Travelogue From China) is a black-and-white
graphic novel
by the Canadian Québécois author Guy Delisle
published in 2000
.
It documents Delisle's three-month deployment in December 1997 to Shenzhen
, a big city developed by the People's Republic of China
near Hong Kong
, where he is acting as the liaison between Dupuis
, a Belgian animation
producing company and a Chinese studio, where Chinese animators draw child-oriented films (Papyrus) from the layout
phase taking the French storyboard
s as a guide.
He struggles with boredom, the difficulties of outsourcing
and the culture shock
of a Westerner in this profit-oriented Chinese city.
The book has 145 pages.
Some of the frames are drawn by Chinese artists and by a friend of Delisle's.
.
He is deployed to Shenzhen
as part of an outsourcing project, where he will spend three months in the Great Wall Hotel.
Unlike in Hong Kong, there are not many bilingual Chinese so he has language problems during his stay, including with the interpreters at work. Often he has to recourse to drawing or pointing to communicate.
Among his experiences of life in Shenzhen include a visit to a Chinese dentist to cure a toothache, but after seeing the unhygienic conditions of the clinic, he is relieved to find out it is just a case of mesialization.
Since the main leisure activity in Shenzhen is shopping, Delisle tries to read books, works for L'Association
's Lapin magazine, and buys Chinese artbooks (drawings by children, Wang Chi Yun, Hu Buo Zhong).
He realizes that the Spirou
that he liked as a child is no longer funny.
An allegory he applies to the Chinese rural exodus
is the Divine Comedy with the Chinese countryside as the Inferno, the USA as the Paradiso and the big Chinese cities, Shenzhen, and Hongkong as intermediate rings.
He finds a copy of Théodore Poussin
.
His Chinese-speaking acquaintances bring him to try Chinese food
.
He finds Canton
and Hong Kong more interesting than Shenzhen.
The only tourist attraction he visits in the new city is the World Windows
, since his Chinese friends are not interested in Splendid China.
He spends a Christmas dinner with a Chinese animator who, while a fan of Rembrandt has only a black-and-white photo of Bathsheba at Her Bath
.
There is less political commentary than in his later Pyongyang
comic.
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
by the Canadian Québécois author Guy Delisle
Guy Delisle
Guy Delisle is a comic book author from Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. He studied animation at Sheridan College in Oakville, near Toronto, and then worked for the animation studio CinéGroupe in Montreal...
published in 2000
2000 in literature
The year 2000 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* February 13 - Final original Peanuts comic strip is published...
.
It documents Delisle's three-month deployment in December 1997 to Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
, a big city developed by the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
near Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, where he is acting as the liaison between Dupuis
Dupuis
Éditions Dupuis S.A. is a Belgian publisher of comic books and magazines.Based in Marcinelle near Charleroi, Dupuis was founded in 1922 by Jean Dupuis, and is mostly famous for its comic albums and magazines. It is originally a French language publisher, but publishes many editions both in French...
, a Belgian animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
producing company and a Chinese studio, where Chinese animators draw child-oriented films (Papyrus) from the layout
Page layout
Page layout is the part of graphic design that deals in the arrangement and style treatment of elements on a page.- History and development :...
phase taking the French storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence....
s as a guide.
He struggles with boredom, the difficulties of outsourcing
Offshore outsourcing
Offshore outsourcing is the practice of hiring an external organization to perform some business functions in a country other than the one where the products or services are actually developed or manufactured. It can be contrasted with offshoring, in which the functions are performed in a foreign...
and the culture shock
Culture shock
Culture shock is the anxiety, feelings of frustration, alienation and anger that may occur when a person is emplaced in a new culture.One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign country. Culture shock can be described as consisting of one or more distinct phases...
of a Westerner in this profit-oriented Chinese city.
The book has 145 pages.
Some of the frames are drawn by Chinese artists and by a friend of Delisle's.
Plot
Delisle had already been to China in NanjingNanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
.
He is deployed to Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
as part of an outsourcing project, where he will spend three months in the Great Wall Hotel.
Unlike in Hong Kong, there are not many bilingual Chinese so he has language problems during his stay, including with the interpreters at work. Often he has to recourse to drawing or pointing to communicate.
Among his experiences of life in Shenzhen include a visit to a Chinese dentist to cure a toothache, but after seeing the unhygienic conditions of the clinic, he is relieved to find out it is just a case of mesialization.
Since the main leisure activity in Shenzhen is shopping, Delisle tries to read books, works for L'Association
L'Association
L'Association is a French publishing house which publishes comic books. It was founded in May 1990 by Jean-Christophe Menu, Lewis Trondheim, David B., Mattt Konture, Patrice Killoffer, Stanislas, and Mokeït, who left soon thereafter...
's Lapin magazine, and buys Chinese artbooks (drawings by children, Wang Chi Yun, Hu Buo Zhong).
He realizes that the Spirou
Spirou
Spirou may refer to:In comics:* Spirou , the eponymous main character of the comics series Spirou et Fantasio and Le Petit Spirou* Spirou , originally Le Journal de Spirou, Belgian weekly serial comics magazine...
that he liked as a child is no longer funny.
An allegory he applies to the Chinese rural exodus
Rural exodus
Rural flight is a term used to describe the migratory patterns of peoples from rural areas into urban areas.In modern times, it often occurs in a region following the industrialization of agriculture when fewer people are needed to bring the same amount of agricultural output to market and related...
is the Divine Comedy with the Chinese countryside as the Inferno, the USA as the Paradiso and the big Chinese cities, Shenzhen, and Hongkong as intermediate rings.
He finds a copy of Théodore Poussin
Théodore Poussin
Théodore Poussin is a comic book series created by French writer Frank Le Gall about a glasses-wearing hero - it was first published in 1984, in Spirou magazine. The third volume of the series, Marie-Vérité won 1989 Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Best Comic Book....
.
His Chinese-speaking acquaintances bring him to try Chinese food
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
.
He finds Canton
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
and Hong Kong more interesting than Shenzhen.
The only tourist attraction he visits in the new city is the World Windows
Window of the World
The Window of the World is a theme park located in the western part of the city of Shenzhen in the People's Republic of China. It has about 130 reproductions of some of the most famous tourist attractions in the world squeezed into 48 hectares...
, since his Chinese friends are not interested in Splendid China.
He spends a Christmas dinner with a Chinese animator who, while a fan of Rembrandt has only a black-and-white photo of Bathsheba at Her Bath
Bathsheba at Her Bath
Bathsheba at Her Bath is an oil painting by the Dutch artist Rembrandt finished in 1654. A depiction that is both sensual and empathetic, it shows a moment from the Old Testament story in which King David sees Bathsheba bathing and, entranced, seduces and impregnates her...
.
There is less political commentary than in his later Pyongyang
Pyongyang (comic)
Pyongyang is a black and white graphic novel by the Canadian Québécois author Guy Delisle, published in 2004.-Overview:...
comic.
See also
- PyongyangPyongyang (comic)Pyongyang is a black and white graphic novel by the Canadian Québécois author Guy Delisle, published in 2004.-Overview:...
, a later black and white graphic novel, where Delisle narrates his work experience in the capital of North Korea.
External links
- Intervalles Shenzhen Pyongyang, exposition on Delisle's work for French-speaking audiences, scenography by Bekir Aysan.