The Free China Review recently held a seminar on the status and role of cartooning in Taiwan. The seminar was hosted by editor-in-chief Jiang Ping-lun (江炳倫), and the participants were Lin Kuei-yu (林奎佑), whose pen name is Yu Fu (魚夫), editorial cartoonist for the Independence Morning Post; Tseng Cheng-chung (曾正忠), a comic book cartoonist; Hsiao Yen-chung (蕭言中), a newspaper cartoonist; and Lu Mei-luan (呂美鸞), a member of the Homemakers Union and Foundation, which has lately been paying close attention to the issue of pornography and the media.
Lin Kuei-yu: Besides Taiwan's two leading daily newspapers, the China Times and the United Daily News, editorial cartoonists generally have no particular restrictions on their work. I'm an example. The editor-in-chief of the Independence Morning News, where my cartoons appear, doesn't interfere with me at all. I'm not asked to sit in the office. I work at home.
I must admit, however, that things were different before the lifting of martial law in July 1987. Many things were taboo in editorial cartoons. One thing that prompted me to leave the China Times was that I was not allowed to draw a cartoon portraying C.Y. Wang, the plastics tycoon, because he was a good friend of the newspaper's chairman.
After martial law ended, caricatures of political figures started to appear, which is the right way to do political cartoons. Why? In traditional China, the emperors were always portrayed as if they were gods. Cartoonists, especially editorial cartoonists, want to eliminate deification. Some people say that the job of editorial cartoonists is to vilify political figures, but our job is actually to lampoon them. The readers will then see that political figures are just like them—and that's the beginning of democracy.
Why, then, are editorial cartoons in the two leading newspapers so bland? Part of the problem is the skill of the political cartoonists themselves. Right now, there are too few cartoonists who are sensitive to the undercurrent of political issues and at the same time can really draw. A second problem is that the two big papers are more or less constrained by their ties to the political party they support [the chairmen of both newspapers are members of the KMT Central Standing Committee]. Therefore, they are much more inclined to avoid running satirical political cartoons.
Jiang Ping-lun: When and where did the first cartoon about the late President Chiang Ching-kuo appear?
Lin: The first one appeared in the Independence Evening Post in 1987.
Jiang: How many editorial cartoonists are active in Taiwan today?
Lin: In our society, editorial cartoonists are considered an endangered species. I think only COCO, L.C.C., Chi Ching, and I are editorial cartoonists. We had to grope and learn for ourselves. We didn't pick up drawing skills from the older-generation cartoonists.
Tseng Cheng-chung—"Young cartoonists have no old hands to follow. We have had to develop on our own."
Tseng Cheng-chung: Political constraints and a shortage of publishers helped create this situation. For example, even though there are many comic strip artists, few of them are really professionals. Before martial law was lifted, many subjects were taboo in the comics. The National Institute of Compilation and Translation [under the Ministry of Education] even ruled that all cartoonists use the same words to represent a dog's bark, a cat's meow, or a car braking. Understandably, cartoonists felt stifled by this degree of regulation, and most of them quit doing cartoons more than ten years ago.
Young cartoonists have no old hands to follow. We have had to develop on our own. And because we had no models here, we imitated those in other countries, especially Japan. Under the old regulations, importing Japanese comics was not allowed, but huge numbers of pirated comic books were smuggled into the local market.
The situation changed after martial law was lifted. Cartoonists can express whatever they want. There aren't any unreasonable restrictions. But pirated Japanese comics are still flooding the market. Even children can buy pornographic Japanese comics in bookstores. Parents are now becoming more concerned about the amount of sex and violence in these comics.
Cartoonists here are aware of what should and should not be portrayed in comic strips. And even if they wanted to compete with Japanese comics by drawing pornographic cartoons, they couldn't survive because no publishers will take them. Reputable publishers prefer to produce good cartoons with educational content, while underground publishers would rather pirate Japanese comics. This is much cheaper and more convenient than commissioning local cartoonists.
The rampant spread of Japanese pornographic comics has also prompted some people to suggest that the government bring back the ridiculous censorship system of earlier years. This will surely hinder the creative development of our cartoonists. Although the Japanese pornographic comic strips should be censored, locally produced comic strips would most likely become the victims.
Lin: I'd like to say something more about the screening system. The National Institute for Compilation and Translation never asked editorial cartoonists to send their works in for screening, but comic book writers were asked to do so from 1962 to 1981. Their creativity was heavily restricted. Some people have even suggested setting up a licensing system for comic book writers. This will undoubtedly be damaging to comic book authors.
Frankly speaking, the problem now is that there are few restrictions on the thousands of bookstores around the island that sell huge numbers of illegally imported Japanese comics.
Tseng: We are not against all Japanese comic books. In fact, many of them are quite good. But they should be imported legally. And there should be some method to restrict the marketing of Japanese comics that emphasize sex and violence so our children won't be corrupted. I don't mind if adults want to read pornographic comics, but children don't have the ability to differentiate the good from the bad, and they should be protected.
Many underground publishers argue that they don't pirate the Japanese cartoons, they just translate them. They think because there are no diplomatic relations between the ROC and Japan, intellectual property rights can't be protected on either side. But the work of Taiwan cartoonists is actually protected in Japan. For example, Cheng Wen's comic strips are quite popular there, and he gets royalties.
Hsiao Yen-chung—"I think the most important thing to cartoonists or artists is freedom."
Hsiao Yen-chung: Most of my work appears in newspaper comic sections. So far, I haven't felt any restrictions on the characters or themes I use, except when Chinese historical heroes are the main figures. Then I get letters telling me to drop dead. Some people still can't accept the idea of putting these historical heroes in comic strips. But I feel I'm innocent. I respect these heroes as much as everyone else does, and I'm not trying to insult them. All I want is to add a little humor to these heroes and a little fun to our life.
Why are there so few cartoonists in Taiwan? I think the main reason is that there was a ten-year void in the development of our comics because of the screening system. Many cartoonists gave up because they couldn't survive under the regulations. For example, there was one cartoonist who drew a comic strip based on a Chinese folk tale. It was about a kid who killed a snake to save his friend. In the strip, the kid smashes the snake's head with a stone. But the strip didn't pass the screening. The reason given was that when killing a snake, the correct place to smash it should be just below the head, instead of the head itself!
Another cartoonist did not get past the censors because there was a talking dog in his comic strip. The examiners asked him, "What if our children read the comics and then try to talk to dogs and go crazy?" But Mickey Mouse has been talking for years, and I wonder if these examiners ever caught their kids talking to a mouse.
Cartoonists have been forced to shoulder too many pressures and responsibilities—even more than artists in other fields. They are often asked if they can guarantee that all their comics are educational and have a positive influence on children. But I don't know what people mean by "positive influence," and I don't know why any form of art has to be educational. A cartoonist can draw for the purpose of educating children, but he can also draw simply because he wants to. What educational functions do Chang Dai-chien's paintings have for children? Art is simply art.
I think the most important thing to cartoonists or artists is freedom. But we also have to be responsible. Japanese pornographic comics are all over our market, but the Japanese cartoonists don't have to be responsible because they are not here. They don't have to face our children, parents, or society. But we do.
Another thing I want to mention is a bad experience I had when I was interviewed in France. Cartoonists from many countries were also being interviewed at that time. When the others were interviewed, the questions concentrated on their ideas, techniques, or themes. Those were easy questions for me to answer, and I had my replies ready. But when it was my turn, I was surprised. I was asked instead how I felt about Taiwan being known as the "kingdom of pirates." I was so shocked that I didn't know how to answer.
This problem has to be solved. Our kids can easily get comic books filled with sex and violence from Japan. As a matter of fact, I read this kind of comic book when I was a kid. There were many bad comic books then, and there are even more now. I don't know if the screening system had helped any in reducing the number of these pirated comics, but it sure hurt the growth of good local comics. It was not until around 1985 that our own comics began to regain a share of the market.
One of our major problems is the attitude of parents. They think that all comic books are bad for their children. My parents, for example, didn't allow me to read them. The attitude has been changing, but quite slowly. For any art to develop, it should be given plenty of room and proper respect.
Tseng: The most popular Japanese cartoon publication in Taiwan is Teenager Weekly, which collects and pirates the work of Japan's top ten cartoonists. It costs only US$1.35 per issue, while a comic book by a local cartoonist may cost around US$7.70. Our children aren't looking for quality in comic books. As long as the plot is exciting and the pictures look good, they enjoy reading them.
Lu Mei-luan—"It is difficult, if not impossible, to draw a clear line between art and pornography."
Lu Mei-luan: Recently, I had the opportunity to discuss the problem of Japanese comics with a member of the Taiwan Cartoonists Union. He brought several comic books with him which the organization had purchased on the local market. They were really repulsive. You didn't even have to look inside; a glimpse at the covers told the whole story. Comic books are one of the most popular forms of reading material for children. But we are worried about the easy accessibility of inappropriate publications. I am glad to hear that local cartoonists are also concerned about this.
But what are the standards? It is difficult, if not impossible, to draw a clear line between art and pornography. There is always controversy on this issue. But in comic strips, it is easy to tell art from pornography and violence. I think it is self-evident that pornographic comics have no educational value.
It is true that parents forbid their children to read comic books because they are concerned about their academic performance. This is especially true when the children are in junior high school and are preparing for the entrance examinations to senior high school. Then, parents often ban all cartoons because they think they are a waste of time. Nevertheless, children read a lot of comic books. Statistics indicate that 70 percent of them read comics at home. In most cases, children themselves buy the comics, take them to school to read, then trade them with their classmates.
The cartoon market in Taiwan is quite large. Of course, we respect the cartoonists' need for freedom and space. But we also emphasize the educational and social functions of their work. Although the government and cartoonists have different views about the screening system, the key lies in the united efforts of family, school, and society. Parents should help their children to cultivate good reading habits and the ability to select good books. School authorities should do the same.
A lucrative market—statistics show that 70 percent of school kids read comics.
It is impossible for a small group like ours to improve the situation significantly. I sincerely hope that the media will develop a greater sense of responsibility. We also hope our cartoonists will produce more and better comic books for young. children. Cartoonists may consider drawing from good literature like the well-known Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Our children would surely find them appealing. Also, we hope that the government authorities will recognize their rights and obligations to inspect publications.
Jiang: About fifty years ago, when I was a child in mainland China, picture books about loyalty and filial piety were very popular. Are these still available? The mainland may still be publishing such cartoons. Has anyone ever thought of introducing them to Taiwan?
Lin: I'm pretty sure that they won't be able to compete with the Japanese comic books. Kids in Taiwan will be bored with mainland comic books, although they are drawn by famous water-ink painter-cartoonists. This is the heavy metal era. Kids here like cartoons with complicated drawings. As far as I know, cartoon books based on classic novels like the Dream of the Red Chamber and All Men Are Brothers have been introduced to Taiwan from the mainland, but they are doing worse than local comic books. There are reasons why Japanese comics have such a good market. Almost all of them have complicated plots—"City Hunter" is a good example.
Tseng: Creative people shouldn't have to shoulder political, social, or moral responsibilities. Having been brought up here, we know how far we can go. We have our conscience to tell us what can and can't be portrayed. And if we choose to, we use our work to criticize systems or trends. That's all. I don't think we should bear so much responsibility.
Jiang: Of course, cartoonists have to make a living.
Tseng: Let me clarify what I said. I didn't mean that in order to keep body and soul together, a cartoonist should do his job by fair means or foul. I don't mean that there should be no restrictions. But these should be imposed on bookstores rather than on cartoonists. Grownups have the right to choose which books they want to read, but not children.
Hsiao: Comics depicting Chinese folk tales are good, but they do not necessarily have a market. It's just like Peking opera, it's good but young people are not interested in it. The purpose of my comics is to bring some laughter to the readers' life. I can't be a political cartoonist because I know nothing about politics. I can't lecture people on the meaning of life because I'm young and I've not had that much experience. All I can do is produce comics that relax my readers when they are under pressure or make them laugh when they are in bad mood. Entertainment is an important function of comic strips. I think that people have been putting too much emphasis on their educational function.