Children’s Picture Book is a Powerful Method of Cultural Communication of Zhuang Folk Tales

LIU Ping,SEO hansok

Through the investigation of childrens picture book market， the understanding of the development of picture book design in Chinese and Western countries， the research on the picture book status of Guangxis “Zhuang Folk Story” and the combing and induction of relevant theories， the reasons for the blank phenomenon in the research of Guangxi Zhuang Folk Story Picture Book are understood. Through the research and analysis of the present situation， it is necessary to solve the problems such as unclear national characteristics of picture images in picture books， insufficient literariness and interest of picture books to attract readers， and lagging development of related cultural communication and cultural industry.

Keywords： childrens picture books， folk tales of Zhuang Nationality， Dissemination

With the advent of the “era of reading pictures”， great changes have taken place in the transmission and acceptance of information， and the mode of communication with images as information carriers is suitable for the fast pace of life of contemporary people. In todays book market， picture books， as the main form of books， have become a popular reading form， meeting the increasing reading needs of modern people. The word“picture book” comes from Japan， and its content is mostly a combination of pictures and texts， among which pictures play an important role. There are two types in the Chinese book market： one is adult picture books， the other is childrens picture books. In addition to pictures， restoring stories is also an important criterion to consider whether a picture book is excellent or not.

Since 1956， when Japanese picture book master Matsujuzhi founded the story picture book monthly Friends of Children， he has been pursuing the possibility of picture books. He believes that folk stories， creative stories， translated stories of various countries， natural science and social science and other types of picture books can be expressed in the form of picture books， and can be planned and edited as artistic expression features.

1 The Development of Chinese Picture Books

Picture books are called “picture story books”. It can be seen as early as the stone reliefs of Han Dynasty in China and the Diamond Sutra printed by engraving in Sui and Tang Dynasties. With the development of printing in China， it appeared in various carriers.

After the Opium War， China was impacted and influenced by foreign countries in the fields of ideology， culture and art. After the “New Culture” movement， picture story books in the modern sense of China began to take shape， and many pioneers in literature and art appeared， actively exploring the creation of picture books， that is， picture books， while being inclusive， such as Lu Xun.

At the beginning of the founding of New China， many masters of art at that time， such as Lin Fengmian and Cheng Shifa， also participated in the creation of picture storybooks. The works of that period were mostly line drawing， traditional Chinese painting， printmaking， facial makeup and so on with distinctive national traditional styles. During the Cultural Revolution， due to the influence of ultra-left thought， the themes of creation were mostly revolutionary stories， heroes and political propaganda， with strong politics and weak artistry.

After the reform and opening up， Chinas ties with the world have gradually increased， and a large number of foreign books have poured in， making the word “picture book” introduced into China. The popular “comic books” in China in the 1960s and 1980s have gradually been forgotten， Many excellent picture books fail to perfectly combine the line drawing expression with the stories of the new era， and the story picture books with Chinese characteristics have not been paid attention to. Under the influence of European and American cartoons and Japanese cartoons， they have failed to adjust in time， grasp better space progress， and missed an opportunity of transformation in story painting in China. With the improvement of the quality of life and the higher needs and requirements of the peoples spiritual civilization， after entering the new century， there has been an upsurge in the creation and publication of picture book design in China. Publishing organizations have also paid more attention to the publicity of picture books. At the beginning of this century， a trend of creation and reading of contemporary Chinese picture books has also been set off in China.

2 The Development of Foreign Picture Books

In western countries， picture books have a long history of development. The illustrated Book of Life and Death in ancient Egypt opened the door to picture books. In the Middle Ages， the exquisitely painted Bible on cattle and sheep skins swore an oath for Christianity. The spirit of “humanism” became the mainstream thought in the Renaissance. Comeniuss “World Illustration” covers social life， science and humanities， and is recognized as the earliest picture book in the world.

Randolph Cadillac， a British picture book painter， praised the entertaining function of picture books， which strengthened the functional function of childrens picture books. The American Cadillac Award named after him has become one of the important awards of picture books in the world today.

The United States in the 1930s has become a high-yield country for excellent picture books. Many aspects related to picture books， such as personnel training， creation， publishing and sales， are quite mature and have strong innovative creation ability. Many writers with international influence have been engaged in picture book creation for a long time.

After World War II， Japans picture books have made great progress. Picture books have attracted the attention of the whole society. Now Japan has become a world-recognized picture book power. Japanese picture books and comics have even become one of the representative symbols of Japans cultural industry.Due to the countrys high attention， picture books have also become an important source of the countrys economy.

3 Global Picture Book Development Trend

With the development of picture books for more than 100 years， the development of modern picture books in Europe， America， Japan and other countries has become very mature. Not only are the painting forms and styles of picture books varied， but also the literariness is wonderful. European and American picture books pay attention to the positive influence on readers in the creation process， and express profound philosophy through easy-to-understand stories and painting styles. Not only pay attention to the quality of book illustration design， but also work hard on book screenwriters. Even publishing institutions have professional picture book screenwriters， and foreign universities also attach great importance to the cultivation of picture book screenwriters.

In 1990s， Jimmy was the early picture book writer in Taiwan who was very popular in mainland China. His works are characterized by exquisite meticulous painting style， depicting the scenes of contemporary people in life and highlighting the emotional world of modern people. The plot is simple but attracts people to think about its mystery and intriguing， which is well received by readers. Since the end of 1990s， Chinese picture books have entered a stage of rapid development. More and more readers of different ages pay attention to picture books， and some excellent picture book writers and picture book works emerge. In childrens picture books and adult picture books， there are many aspects such as diversification， life， fairy tale， common sense and scientific society. According to the data， the works imported from the United States， Japan and Britain accounted for 80% of the market share. From 2015 to 2019， the import amount of Chinese childrens books market was as high as 619.716 million US dollars， and Chinese original picture books only accounted for 20%.

4 Overview of Chinese Folk Stories and the Current Situation of Zhuang Folk Stories Dissemination

China is a big story country， and the Millennium culture has created the history of folk stories. In the long river of time and space， the folk stories recounted orally have infected generations of Chinese children. The ancient Chinese country built by 56 brotherly nationalities has bred more than 100，000 folk stories in this ancient and profound cultural fertile soil.

Folk stories in a broad sense include various themes and forms of oral prose narrative literature of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups， including myths and legends， as well as various other stories， such as animal stories， fantasy stories， life stories， jokes， fables， and oral prose narrative literature themes unique to some ethnic groups or regions. In the early 20th century， Chinese scholars separated Shinhwa， legends and stories through modern folk literature and art， so we naturally have to grasp the characteristics of folk stories from their differences and connections. Folktales belong to one aspect involving human experience， and are another expression of sociology， anthropology， literature， linguistics and other professional disciplines. Folk stories are a means of self-entertainment and self-education for the people who create and inherit them， and a“baton” that condenses their cultural traditions.

Zhuang nationality is the most populous minority in China， distributed in Guangxi， Guizhou， Yunnan and other vast border areas. Therefore， the study of folk stories of this nationality is of great significance and value for the balanced development of economy and culture in various regions of China， the construction of the motherlands border areas and the consolidation of border defense. Moreover， Zhuang nationality has a deep origin relationship with many ethnic groups in neighboring countries of Guangxi， There are many similar aspects in religion and belief. Therefore， the study of its folk stories is also conducive to promoting cultural and economic exchanges between China and ASEAN or Southeast Asian countries， and further strengthening the good-neighborly and friendly relations between China and ASEAN countries.

As the largest minority in China， Zhuang nationality has a long and splendid traditional culture. Apart from the Chinese folk stories， only four written materials books， Wenshan Zhuang Folk Stories， Wuming Zhuang Folk Stories， Zhuang Folk Stories and Selected Zhuang Folk Stories， can be seen on the market.

5 Childrens Picture Books as the “Baton” Function of Spreading Traditional Zhuang Folk Tales

Japanese picture book master Matsuju Naoki once pursued “the possibility of picture books”. His point of view is folk stories， creative stories， stories from all over the world， as well as picture books of natural science and social science， picture books and pictures with life and games as themes. As long as they can be expressed in the form of picture books， he will greedily extend his tentacles to plan and edit.

The development of picture books in the world is in its heyday. Watercolor painting， oil painting， printmaking， traditional Chinese painting， cartoons and even digital art are all included in the artistic expression of picture books. Hehe Hayabusa “There are sounds and songs in picture books”. Picture books convey language functions and hear the voice of the soul through vivid pictures. Picture books bring experience to children， and they are also books that adults read to children. Children listen to language with their ears and see pictures of picture books with their eyes. In fact， children are not watching paintings， but reading them. Painting is all a world of language. There is no painting that cannot be a language. Even abstract paintings can become languages. The children are reading pictures. Children experience the world of language with their ears at the same time. The world of language heard with their ears and the world of language seen with their eyes are integrated in their hearts. Excellent picture books enable children to enter such a story world.

The reason why picture books can tell stories is not by color， but by lines， shapes and composition. Moreover， the continuity and changing combination of pictures are the basic elements of picture books. Picture books are an art that can bring great possibilities into play. Therefore， it is adults who should have a reading life close to picture books and get comprehension and discovery from them. In the so-called “IT revolution”， people get all kinds of information through computers and mobile phones， or constantly transmit pictures when they are bored. In such an information age that they have lost their leisure， if they can really have media that deeply touch the time and space of their hearts， perhaps the best is picture books. It is hoped that picture books will continue to be created in various forms. Picture books do not just fill in knowledge， but make children feel amazed， interested and make new discoveries. If childrens hearts are not touched， picture books will lose their meaning.

It is most important to touch childrens hearts with picture books， that is， the most important thing is whether it can bring pleasure and interest to children. It is very difficult to create an excellent picture book that can be read repeatedly. Picture books that go abroad through translation transcend language and national boundaries. Open the picture book， from the moment I heard “Long， Long Time ago”， the children gradually entered the world of stories and embarked on the journey of the world of stories. Even if the story ends， the children will still stay in the world of the story， spread the wings of free imagination， soar in the world of fantasy， and enrich their imagination.

6 The Present Situation of Picture Book Creation of Zhuang Folk Stories

In the book market， similar ancient Shinhwa and legends， which are well-known to the Chinese nation， have only appeared in the form of picture books in recent two years. The story themes of domestic original picture books include common Chinese classic stories， Chinese idiom stories， Chinese traditional festival stories， classical literary classics and classic dramas， Chinese zodiac stories， revolutionary leaders and celebrity stories and Four Great Classical Novels. Although it seems that picture books cover a wide range of “Chinese stories” themes， there are less than 30 kinds of physical picture books in the book market， with a small number and little selectivity.

The development of picture books introduced by Chinese ethnic minorities has just emerged in recent years， and the creation of picture books for Guangxi Zhuang Folk Stories is even less. Zhuang Nationality， drawn by Qiu Wei in 1990， is the earliest picture book of Zhuang folk stories， which contains two stories： Kyubi no Youko and Bubo Dou Lei Wang. In 2013， Li Xueqin and Pan Shouyong edited “Collection of Myths and Stories of 56 Nationalities in China and Famous Picture Books”， which selected the most representative myths and stories of 56 nationalities in China and presented them to small readers at home and abroad in the form of famous picture books. The Collection of Shinhwa Stories of 56 Nationalities in China （Picture Books of Famous Zhuang Nationalities） （English Version） systematically introduces the representative Shinhwa Stories of Zhuang Nationality in the form of pictures and texts， and provides a book with collection value for small readers. In 2018， Guangxi Ethnic Publishing House published “Guangxi Zhuang Shinhwa Legend Childrens Picture Book” and “Lunge Chaoguan”； Guangxi Science and Technology Publishing House publishes picture books of Guangxi minority culture： Zhuang traditional festivals， bronze drums， Zhuang costumes， Zhuang embroidery and rock paintings （5 Zhuang-Han bilingual books in total）. In 2019， Guangxis first paper-cut picture book tells the story of BaguiShinhwa， “Huashan Rock Painting Legend Series of Guiwa Story， Heilong Cave”， which was unveiled. To sum up， there are still only a handful of excellent picture books on the theme of Guangxi Zhuang folk stories.

7 The Dissemination of “Zhuang Folk Stories” Faces the Following Problems：

7.1 Chinese Picture Books are Weak in Originality， and the Phenomenon of Copying Foreign Works is Serious

Classic story picture books rely on foreign introduction. The government and publishers do not attach importance to ethnic minority folk stories in publishing， and are not good at absorbing nutrients from Chinese native ethnic minority folk stories， and lack literary thought research on folk stories. I have never considered the special language way of integrating folk stories of ethnic minorities into picture books， ignoring the spiritual source of the Chinese nation. On the contrary， it highlights the low literary level of picture books， which are in a relatively weak state， and the phenomenon of directly copying the story lines of foreign picture books occurs from time to time.

7.2 The Artistic Performance of Picture Books is Mixed

Artistry determines the presentation of picture books. There are few excellent picture books in the market. Of course， there are also Chinese story picture books with exquisite pictures. Picture books often have different styles. Apart from some European and American watercolor light color styles and Japanese diffuse styles， there are very few real Chinese ink painting styles or expressions with Chinese characteristics. It is also rare to mention the content of ethnic minorities or the painting style with ethnic characteristics， and even fewer picture books depicting folk stories in Zhuang Township. More picture books belong to the problems of fuzzy character modeling features， lack of national characteristics， simplification and naivety of scene drawing， etc.

7.3 Insufficient Personnel Training

Culture determines the connotation of picture books. According to the current situation of specialty setting in art colleges and universities， illustration specialty is relatively mature， while picture book specialty reveals insufficient attention to script research and compilation. Many art colleges in China are in a blank state in the training of picture book design talents and script writing talents. There are also some deficiencies in the cultivation of students perception of life ability and the education of humanistic cultivation in schools.

7.4 Ignoring the Role of Picture Books as Cultural Communication

General Secretary Xi Jinping has given important instructions： to give full play to the role of spreading Chinese stories， to tell Chinese stories well and to spread Chinese voices well. The communication in the form of picture books is an artistic way of communication. At the same time， because culture is an abstract concept， it will be more intuitive and direct only if it is presented in the form of specific carriers. Therefore， the picture book “Zhuang Folk Stories” is an appropriate way to spread the national culture of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It can show the world Guangxis ancient civilization accumulation， gratifying achievements in economic development and sincere and friendly peoples style. Through the original ecological“March 3rd of Zhuang Nationality” in Guangxi， the folk atmosphere is created with the help of localized folk cultural elements such as intangible cultural heritage， and combined with the form of picture books， the development of Guangxi is promoted by telling stories of Guangxi and Zhuang Nationality well.

8 “Zhuang Folk Tales” Dissemination Countermeasures Through Childrens Picture Book Design

By collecting and summarizing data and comparing cases with excellent picture books in Europe， America， Japan， Taiwan and other regions， this paper forms its own research ideas and methods， refines and innovates on this basis， and enriches them with the advantages and disadvantages of Guangxi Zhuang folk story picture books， and finally forms a complete research system.

8.1 Collection and Collation of Guangxi Zhuang Folk Stories to Obtain the Source of Picture Book Screenwriters.

In the survey， it is found that most picture books are educational. An excellent picture book can enlightening children， setting a good example and setting a correct outlook on life for them. Therefore， the picture book market is becoming more and more popular. In recent years， picture books about national culture have become more and more popular. To improve the soft power of national culture and national confidence， we should start from childhood. Although Guangxi is an autonomous region of zhuang nationality， it is not only zhuang nationality but also other ethnic minorities whose excellent traditional cultures are worth carrying forward. The rich festive culture of ethnic minorities in Guangxi is integrated into the picture book to show the elegant appearance of traditional festivals of ethnic minorities in Guangxi in the picture book. Therefore， when creating picture books， I collected a large amount of information， had a deeper understanding of the local national culture， and added a lot of ethnic elements into the picture books. The folk stories contain the character， morality， wisdom and faith of the great Zhuang people in Guangxi， such as the long narrative poem written by Wei Qilin， a Zhuang poet who has won the national intangible Cultural Heritage， the famous zhuang folk song immortal liuSanjie， the story of Zhuang brocade， the legend of Tianqin and other Zhuang ethnic literature classics.

8.2 Research on the Expression Form of Picture Books

Through the establishment of Guangxi Zhuang characters， the nationalization of picture books， the aesthetic edification through ingenious drawing， and the illustration style combining tradition and modernity， the unique style of Guangxi Zhuang picture books is formed.

8.3 Based on the Collected Cases， Refine the Rules and Methods of Picture Book Creation， and Explore the Rationality of the Combination of Picture Books and Guangxi Zhuang Folk Stories

Through reading relevant theoretical works and consulting books， periodicals and magazines on picture book creation， illustrations， screenwriters and art history， rich theoretical support is provided for the project. Finally， combined with the cultural communication significance， communication mode and communication content of picture books， this paper puts forward the innovative strategies of picture books of Zhuang folk stories.

Conclusion

Through the study of excellent picture books at home and abroad， on the basis of summarizing and learning the existing theories， this paper discusses the theoretical methods of the development and innovation of picture books of Zhuang Folk Stories， and puts forward its own views on how to make Zhuang Folk Stories glow with the charm of the new era， make it innovatively combined with picture books， and push the picture books of Zhuang Folk Stories to the world market. It is hoped that it will provide reference and guidance for picture book creators and publishing institutions to solve the problems that restrict the current picture books， make picture books telling Zhuang folk stories glow with a new style， and explore the direction of its innovative development and cultural dissemination.

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