Art and literature of comics celebrated in Spain

BARCELONA — Prominent illustrators and writers from China and Spain gathered in Barcelona on Thursday to celebrate the art and literature of comics from both countries.

The event "A World of Comics — Closer to Chinese and Spanish Literature and Illustration" was held in the Espai Sol room of Barcelona's Nord train station.

Chinese comic artists Xiao Lin Manga and Nie Jun, as well as writer Cai Jun shared their thoughts, methods and experiences in a roundtable discussion with Spanish comic artists, writers and publishers.

"Comics are very powerful, possessing a language that has no borders. I think the most important part of this type of exchange is that people can learn each other's thoughts through comics," Nie says.

The illustrator points out that while Western comics are very popular among young people in China, demand for Chinese comics in Europe is also increasing. Nie's work has been published in France and will soon hit bookshelves in Denmark.

Munir Hachemi, a Spanish writer who also lectures at Peking University, says comics are ideal for showing how different Chinese contemporary culture is from outdated preconceptions that often persist in foreign societies.

"Comics can reach young people, which is ... important and powerful... there's no such thing as traditional Chinese comics, which makes them good for sharing contemporary Chinese culture," he says.

The event was also the inauguration of an exhibition of the same name running until July 27, which will display some 200 artworks by comic artists from Spain, China and other parts of the world.

"A World of Comics" is part of the Get to Know China initiative created by China's State Council Information Office.

"Publishers say that most of the demand is for manga, both Chinese and Japanese. These days, Asian culture is much more present in Europe than before, in food, fashion, music, literature ... everything," Spanish comic artist Igor Sarralde says.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization also participated in the event, since Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, and Barcelona are part of the Cities of Literature network, which consists of 53 cities in 39 countries.