Sanmao (comic book character)

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Sanmao

Sanmao (Chinese: 三毛) is a manhua character created by Zhang Leping in 1935. He remains one of the most famed and beloved fictional characters in China today.

[edit] Character

The name Sanmao means "three hairs" in Chinese. While the character have gone through a number of transitions over time, he is always drawn with the trademark 3 pieces of hair, which implies malnutrition as a result of poverty.

[edit] History

Sanmao in the 1948 Shanghai newspaper. He is a street freak show acrobat in this segment, with the poster on eletric pole saying "Celebrate Fourth of April Children's Day."

Most Chinese comic book prior to Sanmao featured adults. The stories were also unusual in that they lacked dialogue. When Zhang Leping created the manhua comic series, his main goal was to dramatize the confusion brought about to society by the Second Sino-Japanese War war. He wanted to express his concern for the young victims, particularly the real orphans on the streets. Most of the changes in the characters would come after WWII during the liberation in 1949. Sanmao would be the representation of the orphans.

Today Sanmao the fictional character has one of the longest running streak in terms of making movie, cartoon or book appearances among any culture. Sanmao's image has also transformed from a hungry, homeless boy to a healthy, regular 21st century student^[1]. Depending on the production, the character has gone as far as living through some of the most important historical periods in China to futuristic space explorations.

[edit] Story

The comic takes place mainly in Shanghai during the 1930s and early 1940s. The story centers around the character Sanmao, who was a homeless orphan. The series tells the adventures of Sanmao in Old Shanghai in its "golden" era. Sanmao lived mostly in misery and stark poverty against a backdrop of war, colonization, and inflation.

[edit] Adaptations

The character made his first appearance in manhua and was later adapted into different formats^[2].

[edit] Further reading

Farquhar, Mary Ann. "Sanmao: Classic Cartoons and Chinese Popular Culture" In Asian Popular Culture edited by John A. Lent (1995).

[edit] Trivia

• The renowned late Taiwanese writer Chen Ping (1943-91) chose "San Mao" as her pen name out of her deep sympathy for the lonely, homeless boy.

• The Hong Kong movie star Sammo Hung Kam-Bo was given the name Sammo because of his supposed resemblance to Sanmao.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• "Sanmao, China's favorite son turns 70" - China Daily
• "SanMao World"
• Official Sanmao website