(Central News Agency reporter Yang Chunhui, Sydney, 16th) Taiwanese comics have entered the international market. Taiwan’s popular BL (Boy’s Love) comic Day Off writer “Daily Green Vegetable” and watercolor comic “Emergency Island” screenwriter Li Shangqiao attended a symposium in Sydney today. Not only Chinese readers were present, but also many Australian book fans participated, showing that Taiwan’s soft power is not tolerated underestimate.
Taiwan has vigorously supported the development of its local original comics industry in recent years. The BL comic Day Off, with office romance as the main theme, was serialized on the “CCC Manga Station” digital platform, accumulating more than 1 million views, and has sold copyrights in 8 languages, including Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, English, German, Russian, Thai, Portuguese.
“Island of Mayfly” is presented in a watercolor cartoon, telling the story of the cultural and ecological catastrophe of the South Island. Cartoonist Ye Changqing is responsible for the cartoon and Li Shangqiao is responsible for the script. The work won the Bronze Award at the Japan International Manga Awards in 2021.
The “Australia Taiwan Film Festival” held the “Taiwan Bookcase” event at the Kii Library in Sydney this evening, inviting Qing Cai and Li Shangqiao to share their comic creation experience and sign books on the spot.
Daily Qingcai shared that drawing was originally just a hobby. After she quit her job in graphic design, she began to devote herself to the field of BL comics and started working on her first BL comic work, Day Off, in 2020. This work was initially published for free on an online platform. Unexpectedly, enthusiastic readers asked if the work could be translated into other languages. This process brought the work to the attention of publishers in other countries.
Daily Green Cai said that Japan and Thailand have complete BL markets and industries, while Taiwan is in the experimental stage. BL is a very competitive industry, and I hope there will be more BL comics in Taiwan in the future. Finally, she revealed to readers that the first and second seasons of Day Off tell the story of two couples respectively, and the third season will be about the storyline of these four people, so readers are advised to look forward to it.
Li Shangqiao said that he was inspired by Japanese comics since he was a child. After college, he began to create secondary works and also tried original comics with his friends. “Island of Mayflies” is a prequel to the animated film of the same name. During her fieldwork, she followed an aboriginal singer on a trip and often went to the tribe to interview. This is her first work with Ye Changqing. Both of them are famous for their work. Produced with “a strong desire to protect the story”.
Li Shangqiao said that “Island of Mayflies” has sold Italian and French versions. She found that it was difficult to promote short story collections in the European market, and the process of contacting the international market also made her think about what adjustments she could make in her future creations.
In addition to Chinese readers, Taiwanese BL comics also attracted many Australian fans, and almost all of them were female readers.
Jenny, an Australian book fan, said in an interview with China Central News Agency that she came across the Day Off comic on an online platform through a friend’s recommendation, and because some netizens were enthusiastic about translating it, she was able to appreciate the work. She heard that this work was about to be published in an official English version and was looking forward to it.
Wu Zhengwei, Director of the Representative Office in Sydney, was present to support the event. He said that in recent years, the Ministry of Culture and the Institute of Cultural Content Policy (CAC) have provided strong support, and he hopes that more Taiwanese art creators can come to Australia to share their works. (Editor: Feng Zhao) 1121116
