THE annals of Greek mythology are rife with well-known stories about gods and heroes dying, loving, warring and performing superhuman feats.

In China most people are familiar with myths like “Chang’e Flying to the Moon” or “Nuwa Mending the Heaven,” but many other old folk legends seem to be fading.

The largest collection of Chinese mythological stories were recorded in “Shan Hai Jing,” or “Classic of Mountains and Seas.” Versions of the text have existed since the 4th century BC, but the present form dates back to the early Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220) a few centuries later. The book mostly records the geography and culture of China, with a few ancient fables and tales thrown in.

Now there is a new campaign to revive the color and imagination of ancient myths.

A project entitled “Creating the World — Literary and Artistic Works on Chinese Creation Myths” invited a group of artists to illustrate nearly 30 comic books based on Chinese myths.

Aimed at a young generation of readers, the first 17 comic books in the series are being published in bilingual tests this month by the Shanghai People’s Fine Art Publishing House. An accompanying exhibition at the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy displays illustrations in the books.

Fan Yibin, one of the editors and artists on the project, says each artist is required to paint about 30 drawings using different subjects of Chinese mythology.

“Undoubtedly, it is an honor to be selected for this project,” Fan says, adding the participants range in age from 30 to 73.

Veteran artists got first crack at choosing the stories that interested them most.

“The project was a bit like a competition,” Fan says. “Readers will invariably compare comic books to decide which they like best.”

Among the participating artists are Shi Dawei, chairman of the Shanghai Literary Federation and deputy director of the project; Luo Zhongli, a master of China’s modern oil painting; and Han Shuo, one of the most famous ink-wash artists in Shanghai.

According to Shi, the project goes beyond the common concept of comic books.

“The whole project actually involves academia, literature, the fine arts, film and animation digging at the roots of Chinese culture,” he says. “We hope that these comic books will help young readers develop an admiration for the immortal spirit and the vitality of our mythical ancestors.”

The selection of comic books as a format is fitting because Shanghai is the cradle of the genre.

Pocket-sized comic books, or lianhuanhua, were first published in the 1920s and were a major source of public entertainment. In the 1950s and 1960s, they were even used to publicize government policies, especially targeted at people who couldn’t read.

The first comic books featured folk legends and opera characters. Noted illustrators were drafted for the work.
The heyday of comic books ended during the “cultural revolution” (1966-76), but they started making a comeback in the late 1970s to mid-1980s.

Comic books were usually sold in kiosks in Shanghai, but the fast-paced digital era has diverted the attention of many young readers from the genre.

“We hope that this series of over 30 works based on Chinese myths will revive comic books in a contemporary setting,” Shi says.

“Will it produce enduring masterpieces? Only time and our readers will determine that,” he adds.

This pictorial series has a literary bent to it, displaying a diversity of artistic styles, from oil and ink-wash to watercolors. For many participating artists, this is their first foray into the comic book genre.

“It is a challenge because we have no idea of how mythical characters looked like,” says 72-year-old Han Shuo. “I nearly threw away the sketches that I drew at the very beginning. For example, I used leaves as costumes for my characters, but that primitive look wasn’t very attractive. I decided finally to use loose and graceful clothes, which came out just right under my brushstrokes.”

He adds, “I haven’t painted comic books for almost three decades, and now my interpretations are more enriched. It’s been a very interesting experience for me, especially meaningful when I know that I am painting for children.”

The 30 drawings in each book are a testament to the individual imaginations and interpretative details of each artist.

Zhu Xinchang, 63, says he did quite a bit of preparatory work before picking up his brush to paint the story “Fuxi and Nuwa Create the World.”

“I collected a lot of materials about the myth. I also imitated some New Year’s paintings, a traditional art genre, to find inspiration,” he says.

According to Zhu, different people from different epochs have different understandings of the characters in Chinese myths.

“If I copied some of stereotyped images, our readers would soon lose interest,” he says. “I kept telling myself to forget any existing images and let my imagination fly.”

Xi Axing, the oldest artist on the project at 73, picked the myth “Nuwa Mending the Heaven.” For him, creating an impressive image of Nuwa was the biggest challenge.

“Unlike beautiful fairies, Nuwa is a tough goddess,” he says. “So I drew her as a strong woman with big feet. I also used dark hues reminiscent of the cliff paintings in ancient caves.”

For Shi Xiaojie, 40, the trick was to develop a “visual line” that would keep the attention of readers from the first page to the last.

“You probably have heard of ‘shooting script’ in movies,” he says. “I planned my 30 drawings like a shooting script. As we all know, the aesthetic tastes of today’s young readers are totally different from those in the past. That’s also why I used crayons and watercolors. I wanted to present something fresh.”

Shi echoes the sentiment of many of the artists when he praises the project as “a professional learning experience.”

“I found that I knew so little about Chinese myths,” he says. “I had never heard of some of the stories before.”

Shi Dawei, the deputy director of the artistic project, says he was helped by his collection of famous French comic books.

“I found that the French illustrators transform themselves into characters in their books,” he says. “This is why their comic books are so popular with readers.”

Shi says he became a bird in his story and tried to reflect the feelings he had onto the character.

“I am very attracted by the charm of these Chinese myths,” he says. “I hope that feeling can be passed on to readers.”

Two Chinese myths

‘Nuwa Creates Human  Beings’

Fuxi and Nuwa moved from Kunlun Mountains to the west, which was desolate at that time. Nuwa thought it would be wonderful if there were humans like her in the world. So she scooped up some mud with her hands and made a copy of herself according to her reflection in a brook.

Miraculously, the clay figure came to life. Nuwa took a branch of green rattan, dipped it into the mud and waved the branch. Thousands of drops of mud were splashed in all directions in the air.

Nuwa held Fuxi’s arm and they flew into the sky. As the air in their wake fell on the mud drops, each immediately turned into a human being. All the humans then descended to the ground and dispersed in all directions. They were ancestors of different tribes.

‘Leizu Teaches Silk  Weaving’

Emperor Huangdi (2717-2599 BC) met a tribe of people while leading his subjects to a new realm. The tribe leader Leizu was beautiful and bright, wearing a dress made of a soft, smooth fabric they had never seen before. That fabric was silk.

Emperor Huangdi married Leizu and learned the art of raising silkworms and processing their cocoons.

Leizu worked hard to teach more tribes how to rear silkworms and spin silk so that farmers would make a better living. Unfortunately, she died from overwork.

The myths that grew up around her praised the diligence and wisdom of ancient ancestors, and traced the development of diversified agriculture.

“Creating the World — Literary and Artistic Works on Chinese Creations Myths” exhibition

Date: Through May 21 (closed on Mondays), 9:30am-4:30pm

Venue: Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy, 197 Yueyang Rd