'Charming Shanghai' through eyes of cartoonist
A promotional poster for cartoonist Lin Dihuan (Xiao Lin)'s comics exhibition in Vienna, Austria. It is a new attempt of the Shanghai government to share the development and urban charm of Shanghai with Europeans.
Shanghai's image promotion campaign has been staged for the first time in Austria via a cartoon exhibition.
It is a new attempt of the Shanghai government to share the development and urban charm of Shanghai with Europeans.
On April 12, local time, the press office of the Shanghai government held the "Charming Shanghai" city image promotion event in Vienna, Austria.
The campaign launched popular artist Lin Dihuan (Xiao Lin)'s cartoon exhibition, titled "Waiting for a Flower to Blossom," and debuted the German version of its comics as calendars. This is in cooperation with the Shanghai government, German Drachenhaus-Verlag and other organizations.
The exhibition featured 150 carefully-selected comic works from Lin, as well as 30 special installations combining music and pictures on site, which are creative to look, listen, and interact with.
"This is the first time for Chinese comic artists to come to Vienna, and we hope that citizens and tourists will come to take a look at the exhibition," Alexander Nikolai, district leader of Leopoldstadt, Vienna, said at the opening ceremony.
"We also hope to promote more cultural exchanges and cooperation between Vienna and Shanghai."
The exhibition was held in the public green space under the Ferris wheel in Vienna's landmark Prater Park.
The exhibition focuses on Lin's cityscape drawings for Shanghai landmarks such as Huaihai Road.
"In Shanghai, people work hard during the day and follow their dreams at night," Lin said. "Shanghai has this tolerant and balanced temperament that inspires my creative passion. This is also the driving force that allures me to Shanghai."
Lin's comics are humorous and philosophical, often featuring a picture accompanied by a concise sentence, covering topics from different life stages and scenarios, such as love and marriage.
Combining the essence of Chinese calligraphy and Chinese painting, simple and rich in connotation, Lin's comics have become one of the most popular comics in China in recent years.
The creative installations at the exhibition attracted lots of attention.
Lin's comics are humorous and philosophical, often featuring a picture accompanied by a concise sentence.
"There were no unraveling knots and no unraveling sorrows back then."
Lin Dihuan
The German publishing house: Drachenhaus-Verlag will launch the German version of Lin's comics in the future, which will be distributed in German-speaking countries.
"This is the first time in Europe that an exhibition of Chinese comics combining comics, installation, and music has been organized," said Martin Krott, curator and Ph.D. in Sinology.
"We are grateful to Shanghai for bringing Chinese culture and art to the people of Europe."
The "Charming Shanghai" campaign will be followed by other thematic events in Luxembourg and France this month.
Lin's comic theme video "The Most Important Thing in the World" was released at the launch ceremony.
