London, 7 Apr (Xinhua) -- In an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency reporter Yu Rong a few days ago, She was pleased to see that some Books with Chinese elements, including children's books, had been placed on the shelves of British people, indicating that Chinese culture was influencing Westerners in a "silent way."
Yu Rong's new work "Shu Lin's Grandfather" caused a hot discussion during the London Book Fair. This children's picture book was recently nominated for the Kate Greeaway Prize, a British children's book award.
With the help of her grandfather, the protagonist, the little girl Shu Lin, overcame the cultural conflict in a foreign country and established a new friendship because of the tolerance and acceptance between people. The book uses Chinese style creation techniques such as paper-cutting and ink painting to depict highly recognizable Chinese images such as dragons and pandas, and introduces Chinese folk tales such as "carp jumping dragon gate" and "magpie dengmei".
This is the children's picture book "Shu Lin's Grandfather" filmed at the London Book Fair in the United Kingdom on April 5. (Photo by Xinhua news agency reporter Li Ying)
How to tell the Story of China to Overseas Readers? Yu Rong believes that in overseas markets, good Chinese stories can often be "into the eyes and hearts". In order to make Chinese good books popular in overseas markets, it is not enough to rely on Chinese elements, but also to have an international perspective in order to "enter the hearts of the people". Taking children's picture books as an example, she said that only by combining the expressive skills of Chinese art with the concept of international education can we tell stories that resonate with foreign readers.
Yu Rong (fourth from left) poses with book lovers and staff at the London Book Fair in the United Kingdom on April 5. (Photo by Xinhua news agency reporter Li Ying)
Yu Rong believes that telling Chinese stories well requires a pure heart, a love for traditional Chinese culture, and a passion for conveying Chinese stories through words or pictures.
She also said that in recent years, There has been a lot of progress in the "going to sea" of original Chinese books, and more and more Westerners are willing to accept and deeply understand Chinese culture. However, it takes a long time to put more good Chinese books on the shelves of Western families, and it also puts forward higher requirements for talent training, and there is a need for compound talents who understand Western art appreciation and are well versed in Chinese culture to promote the spread of Chinese good stories in the world. Many Chinese students are now studying in the UK, hoping that some of them will become a living force in this field in the future.