Contest draws on comic creativity to showcase talent

Hosted by the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, the contest is jointly organized by companies from the three countries, including People's China magazine, video platform Bilibili, Japanese animation giant Kadokawa Corp, and IIE Star Inc, a Chinese company with a focus on comics. It consists of two sectors for contestants under and over 18. Works in the form of long comic strips, short comics and one-page comics will compete for three grand awards and nine subordinate awards.

There's no defined subject for the submitted artworks, although the competition has provided a topic for reference, welcoming works that feature mutual support of the three countries in helping one another and fighting the pandemic.

At the eighth China-Japan-ROK trilateral summit meeting in December 2019, Premier Li Keqiang highlighted the popularity of comic art among young people and expressed the hope that the contest will "promote artistic exchanges between the three countries, enhance the friendship among young people and pass it on to the next generation".

The name of the competition comes from Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King, a main character from classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.

Gao Anming, vice-president of the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, says: "Sun Wukong is a classic character who embodies intelligence and bravery, and has been a popular element in the comic and animation works of the three countries."

The three key phrases for the competition are "riding a cloud", "roaming freely" and "chasing dreams", implying the wish that contestants can explore the world of comics and realize their dreams.

The contest's mascot, a comic rendition of Wukong, was also unveiled. Its facial design draws from the style of Peking Opera face painting. Using the five colors of red, yellow, blue, white and black, the design integrates the colors of the three countries' national flags and embodies the values of Eastern philosophy.

Editor-in-chief of People's China Wang Zhongyi says: "The colors of red, blue and yellow respectively represent bravery, honesty and wisdom. The black and white represent the dialectical philosophy of the unity of the opposites.

"Also, this Wukong does not have the conventional golden hoop on his head (used to control him). It's our hope that people can free their minds and create without inhibition."