A recent comic book based on the life of Manchurian warlord Chang Tso-lin is rekindling public interest in early ROC history.
Created by local cartoonist Lin Chieh-chun, aka M2 to her fans, “Rain Marshal” portrays the life of a fictitious small-time gangster, who joined the Chinese army before the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), and worked his way up to become the ruler of Manchuria before dying at the hands of Japanese assassins aged 53.
Lin’s first work, also set in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), earned her a nomination for best new comic artist at the Golden Comic Awards in 2012 and was a piece of interest during her appearance at the 2013 Angouleme International Comic Festival.
“Historical events have a certain pull on me,” she said. “My latest work is inspired by stories of the warlords who played integral roles during that unsettled period of time.”
While researching “Rain Marshall,” Lin discovered that Manchuria in the 1920s was very similar to the American West of the 19th century. “The historical figures and their stories are so fascinating I had to share them with my audience,” she said.
Lin said Chang is a perfect subject for literary creations given his legendary life and the public’s familiarity with his son, Chang Hsueh-liang. The latter was detained by former President Chiang Kai-shek in 1936, an act many believe had a fundamental impact on the development of the ROC.
In addition to wading through voluminous historical documents and papers for the research, Lin also spent a week in northeastern mainland China, including a visit to Chang’s old residence in Shenyang. “This was necessary as it enabled me to better understand the characters in my comic,” she said.
Lin hopes to show the many sides of the marshal and his contemporaries of the day and encourage readers to ponder upon the similarities between the past and today.
“Is there really any difference between those men threatening to tear apart a young country and the politicians of our time? This is really something to think about,” she said. (SFC-JSM)
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