For more than 40 years, this county has produced thousands of peasant cartoonists

In Qiu County, Hebei Province, where the allusion to the wreck of the boat occurred, there is such a group, they are mainly farmers, and while cultivating and working, they are also figuring out the comic themes in rural life; In the spare time before going to bed after a meal, I use a pen to sketch a cartoon that understands life......

This is the different life of a peasant cartoonist in Qiu County, Hebei Province. They say that with comics, their lives are no longer monotonous and repetitive labor, but full of fairy tales, with more color and flavor.

Most of the peasant cartoonists come from the local frog comic association, formerly known as the frog comic group, founded in 1983, Chen Yuli and Li Qingai are the main founders, and they also became a couple because of the comics. Li Qingai said that the name frog was borrowed from the practice of many foreign comic organizations to name animals. Frogs eat pests in the field and sing about the harvest, and most of the members of the comic group are farmers, and they all hope that the comics can be like frogs, which can not only pinpoint the disadvantages of the times, but also praise the times.

Hua Junwu, Fang Cheng, Yingtao and other famous cartoonists in the mainland have come to Qiu County many times to teach the members of frog comics face-to-face, guide them hand-in-hand, and keep in touch with them for a long time through letters and other means, becoming an important force to help this peasant comic team grow.

Over the past 40 years, the members of frog comics have grown from a few people to thousands of people, creating more than 50,000 comic works of various themes, and more than 10,000 works have won awards at all levels of exhibitions and competitions.

From "Chen Yuli" to "Chen and Li"

In the afternoon, the wind is mild and the sun shines warmly in the quiet courtyard of the "Frog House". Under the shade of green trees and red flowers, the two-story building with red roof and white walls has a little more artistic temperament.

Next to two old paintings full of brushes, paint, and paper, 85-year-old Li Qingai still has a clear mind when talking about the past, and 90-year-old Chen Yuli is also supported by his family to sit aside and listen, sometimes smiling at the corners of his mouth.

Chen Yuli, nicknamed "Chen Cripple", was born in a poor peasant family and was disabled for life due to illness when he was a child. Although it was difficult to walk, he was obsessed with comics and kept writing. In the 50s of the 20th century, he began to publish his works in well-known newspapers and magazines in the country, a cartoon called "Big Harvest", which was praised by many people in the industry for its creativity, not only won awards in Hebei Province, but also was published in many important newspapers and magazines. This made Chen Yuli even more determined to embark on the road of comics.

Gradually, Chen Yuli discovered that if he wanted to create unusual works, he had to have a different life. To this end, he quit his relatively stable job four times and returned home to work as a farmer. Many villagers said that this "Chen Cripple" not only has problems with his legs, but also has problems with his brain.

When everyone was not optimistic about Chen Yuli, there was a person who only saw his talent and persistence in his eyes, and his heart was full of admiration for him. She is Li Qingai.

After graduating from middle school, Li Qingai came to the then Qiu County Cultural Center to help with art creation, and often painted wall posters on the streets of the county, which led to Chen Yuli. They cooperated with various county organs and villages, held mobile exhibitions, painted murals, often worked together in the fields during the day, and discussed comic ideas together at night.

In 1958, because of their common hobby, Chen Yuli and Li Qingai shouted the slogan of "turning the street into a gallery" and established the Qiu County Peasant Comic Group, which was the predecessor of the Qiu County Frog Comics Group.

In 1960, Chen Yuli was admitted to Hebei Academy of Fine Arts, and Li Qingai was also sent to this school to study, and the two met unexpectedly. The two replaced the words in their hearts with silent cartoons, and knew and fell in love in the world of comics.

During this time, the works created by the two of them, such as "The Sky is also a Star", "The Golden Sea Becomes a Golden Mountain", "Through Our Boulevard", "The Return of the Gleaning" and other works have been published in some magazines, and more and more people have begun to pay attention to these two comic creators who were born as farmers.

In 1963, Chen Yuli and Li Qingai became partners, and since then, some of the comic works they have collaborated on have gradually changed their signatures from the original "Chen Cripple" and "Li Qingai" to "Chen and Li". "From 'Chen Yuli' to 'Chen and Li', this homonym may be a marriage destined by God." Li Qingai said.

After their marriage, they continued to farm, and the hard life did not discourage them from pursuing art, but continued to inspire them. They painted murals in the village, painters to the neighbors, and whoever married a daughter-in-law or a girl would go to help paint on wind curtains, cabinets, and oilcloth. For a while, relatives and friends from all over the country came to them to paint.

In 1979, due to work needs, Chen Yuli and Li Qingai were transferred to work in the then Qiu County Cultural Center, and more of their works were published in newspapers and magazines, which attracted the attention of the Qiu County Party Committee and County Government at that time, and specially allocated funds to send them to Beijing, Changsha and other places to learn art.

With the guidance of the cartoonist, the two are like tigers, constantly colliding with sparks of wisdom, and a large number of excellent works such as "Great Changes in the Mountain Township" and "Frog at the Bottom of the Well" have come out one after another, and their works are often seen in major newspapers and magazines such as "People's Daily" and "Irony and Humor".

"Chen and Li", whose fame has soared, has attracted the attention of comic book masters Hua Junwu, Fang Cheng, Ying Tao, Han Yu and others. Some cartoonists instructed them that if you have a life in the countryside, you should focus on drawing agricultural cartoons, not only by yourself, but also by bringing a group of apprentices, and you should be a professional cartoon professional who specializes in agriculture.

With the advice and support of famous teachers, on January 17, 1983, the country's first peasant cartoon organization, Qiu County Frog Cartoon Group, was established. Hua Junwu also wrote an inscription for the comic group: "There are many people who draw comics in the world, but there are not many farmers who make comics, and it is unheard of for farmers to set up a comic group." The establishment of a frog cartoon group by farmers in Qiu County, Hebei Province, China is a new thing since Pangu opened the world. ”

Grew up under the guidance of a master manga artist

The gradual growth and development of peasant comics in Qiu County is inseparable from the face-to-face and hand-in-hand guidance of comic masters, and many comic masters maintain correspondence and email correspondence with the members of frog comics.

In October 1987, Hua Junwu made a special trip to Qiu County for the first time to give lectures. He talked about the development of comics and the process of his comic creation; Talk about how to learn politics and culture, how to go deep into life, collect comic materials, and how to process raw materials into comics; Talking about how to conceive, compose, use pen and ink, and perform it with their own hands, and talk while drawing, many members of Frog Comics have benefited a lot. "In class, Hua Lao drew while talking, especially case teaching, took out a painting, talked about the whole process of conception, drafting and completion, and talked about what pen and paper are easier to express different comic themes." Li Qingai said.

In November 1989, Hua Junwu came to Qiu County for the second time to give lectures, and this time he brought a set of slides specially made for the frog comic group, using slide teaching methods to vividly and vividly show his comic creation process and the background of the times to everyone, which is refreshing.

Yingtao has come to Qiu County five times to give lectures. In 1991, in order to improve the creative level of the frog comic group, Yingtao moved the annual meeting of "Irony and Humor" magazine to Qiu County, so that famous painters from all over the country could diagnose the pulse of the frog comic group, give advice, and help the peasant comics in Qiu County to reach a new level.

Yingtao is more optimistic about peasant comics, and once said that the "frogs" know that they have a poor foundation and little experience, and only by studying honestly and humbly can they maintain creative progress, win without arrogance or discouragement, be unpretentious, encourage each other, help each other, and this spiritual realm naturally ensures that they continue to make achievements in creation; "Frogs" encounter rejection, everyone analyzes the reasons and seeks improvement; The creations of the "frogs" are closely related to the reality of rural life, painting the countryside, painting for the countryside, praising the advanced and criticizing the backward, so that the creation can serve agricultural production and the construction of spiritual civilization......

"These famous comic artists not only provide us with guidance on ideas and creation, but their spirit is more worthy of our learning." Li Qingai recalled that in the 90s of the 20th century, Teacher Fang Cheng came here to give a lecture for a week, and we wanted to give him 200 yuan for the lecture, but he was politely refused. At that time, the temperature plummeted, and we gave him a sweater to keep warm, but we didn't expect him to send the sweater back after returning to Beijing.

The support of cartoonists for peasant comics is not limited to lectures and lectures. Li Qingai said that Hua Junwu donated some of his personal works, daily necessities, clothing, letters, etc. to the frog comic group at that time. To this end, they built the Hua Junwu Memorial Hall in the Qiu County Frog Comics Museum. Since then, they have also sorted out some of Yingtao's photos and letters, and built the Yingtao Memorial Hall.

With the help of comic book masters, the members of Frog Comics have a high enthusiasm for creation and grow rapidly. For an idea, they can stay up all night discussing, even arguing; In search of an inspiration, they dreamed of drawing; For a satisfactory work, a manuscript can be revised for nearly half a year......

The cartoons of the members of Frog Comics praise the harvest and praise life, and also pinpoint the evils of the times and persuade the evil to be good, especially the works with the theme of clean government have great influence. In September 2013, the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection opened a special column for Qiu County's clean government cartoons "Hebei Qiu County Clean Government Cartoon Exhibition"; In 2018, the website opened the column "Talking about Party Discipline", and successively published 143 cartoons interpreting the "Regulations on Disciplinary Actions of the Communist Party of China"; In 2020, the website once again opened the column "Micro Course on Integrity and Integrity", and published and broadcast 22 lectures on the animation video of "Micro Course on Integrity and Integrity".

Humorous and satirical cartoons quietly penetrate people's minds and change the local atmosphere. Zhang Fengxia, a key member of Frog Comics, saw that many letters in the mailboxes on the side of the street had not been picked up for a long time, and created the comic "The Mailbox is "Pregnant". In the painting, the mailbox is shaped like a pregnant woman's belly, and there are letters sticking out of the head at the mouth of the mailbox, which vividly expresses the current situation that the mailbox has not been picked up and delivered for many days. After seeing this cartoon, the local post office quickly made a rectification.

Many positive comics have been well received. On July 1, 2013, Chen and Li's "Chinese Dream Cow Spirit" became a national public service advertisement work on civilization and new style, which appeared frequently in many newspapers, television stations, websites, etc., and was also displayed in airports, hotels, high-speed railways, squares, streets and other public places in more than 100 cities across the country.

Comics brighten their lives

"Without cartoons, we might be peasants facing the loess with our backs to the sky." Li Qingai said that Chen Yuli had a lame leg, had stomach and lung problems when she was young, and was often hospitalized, and she herself was also frail and sick. However, because of the manga, my body became healthy unconsciously. "The comics themselves are humorous, the process of drawing comics is very enjoyable, it will make people feel relieved in a smile, the mood is good, the body is good, and sometimes after drawing a satisfactory picture, it will be happy for several days." She said.

"It's not interesting to just farm the land, but comics make me have pursuits, ideals, and feel that life has meaning." Hao Zengmao, who is nearly 60 years old, is an apprentice of "Chen and Li" and has lived in the countryside for many years. Previously, the harvest of 10 acres of land and working in the county seat was the main source of income for the whole family.

After coming into contact with comics, Hao Zengmao's spiritual world became very rich, and he began to get used to carefully observing what was happening around him and what he saw, generating his own understanding, and then expressing his feelings about life through his works.

Hao Zengmao's first cartoon work originated from daily life. At that time, his mother was weighing the grain, and his brother ran out to help "lift it up", but in an instant, the scales fell to the ground and the scales were facing the sky. He found it interesting, so he created a cartoon with the title of "Help" to reflect the innocence of children, and the manuscript was successfully published after many times of guidance from "Chen and Li".

"After that, I worked in the field during the day, always carrying a pen and a small notebook in my pocket, and I wrote down the inspiration in the small notebook, and drew it when I got home in the evening." Hao Zengmao said that many good works are produced in this process. Today, Hao Zengmao has a bookcase in his home, full of books on comic art and the awards he has won.

Ren Guangqiang, 66, was one of the first members to join the frog comic group. "Not everyone can stick to drawing comics for a lifetime, and some people who studied comics before have gradually changed to painting Chinese paintings, one of the main reasons is that comics are more 'brain-consuming' than Chinese paintings." Ren Guangqiang said that before drawing comics, you must first have ideas and ideas, otherwise no matter how good your painting skills are, you will not be moved.

Ren Guangqiang believes that people who draw comics usually read more books, and they also have to study many social issues thoroughly, and they have to learn all aspects of knowledge. "Thanks to that, I don't look old at all." He said.

Zhang Aixue, who is over 50 years old, was also one of the first people to learn to draw comics from Chen and Li. He still misses the days when he used to ride his bicycle and take time out of his week to learn to paint, even when he was busy farming. "I have lived in the countryside since I was a child, and my life has no intersection with art, but it is the two teachers 'Chen and Li' who have opened a window to our hearts and made our world far." Zhang Aixue said.

In the early 90s of the 20th century, Zhang Aixue spent more than 5,000 yuan of his savings to buy a computer from other places, the purpose of which was to better learn and study comics. Later, Zhang Aixue bought a hand-drawn tablet and learned to use various computer painting software. Over the course of a few years, he used up four broken sketchpads.

However, in recent years, Zhang Aixue has not often drawn in front of the computer, and he has begun to use brushes. Because "the brush falls on the rice paper, it has a sense of rhythm, vitality, and traditional Chinese charm, and can better express the connotation of the work." Gradually, Zhang Aixue's works were collected by many exhibition halls such as "Feng Zikai Art Memorial Hall", "Zhang Leping Memorial Hall", "Puhua Art Museum" and "Jingzhou Museum".

Now Zhang Aixue has transferred his farmland to teach at a school in Shijiazhuang. "Comics changed my life and allowed me to become a teacher as a farmer," he said. The countryside is the biggest source of my creation, and every holiday, I go back to the countryside to watch the crops grow, and chat with relatives and friends to inspire me. ”

78-year-old Hu Yanting is funny and lively, and is often jokingly called "Xiaohu" by his peers. Hu Yanting recalled that he had previously been in charge of drawing movie posters and slides in a film company, and after the establishment of the frog comic group, he enthusiastically signed up and became the first member of the comic group. "When it was first established, everyone was enthusiastic, and many people often gathered around to talk freely, comment on each other, and express their opinions, and at that moment, I felt that life was unusual." Looking back on those years, he is still a little excited.

Hu Yanting's wife belonged to the agricultural household at the time, and they often went to the fields to do farm work. Hu Yanting often works while conceiving comics. Once, he carried a hoe to the farmland, and after hoeing for a while, the prototype of the cartoon in his mind gradually formed, and when he was happy, he realized that the land he had just hoeed was not his own land.

Hu Yanting said that although there were many jokes, he became a member of the Chinese Artists Association and the China Folk Literature and Art Association by drawing comics, and was also rated as a senior title.

Nowadays, people often come to Qiu County Frog Comics Museum to visit, those wonderful comic ideas and exaggerated brushwork, often attract people to praise or laugh, many people take pictures and send them to the circle of friends, express their feelings. "Everyone's affirmation and encouragement make us feel extremely happy." Li Qingai said.

Comics have branched out and embarked on a new path

Qiu County has been named the "Hometown of Chinese Folk Culture and Art (Comics)" by the relevant state departments for four times, and comics have become a beautiful cultural business card in the local area. The members of the Frog Comics Association have served new "jobs" through comic submission, order creation, rural wall painting, classroom teaching, etc.

"Last year, I earned more than 30,000 yuan from comic submissions and wall paintings." Hao Zengmao said that when he is idle from farm work, he is not idle, often creating comics and submitting them, and once he wins an award or is adopted, he has an income. At the same time, with the construction of the new countryside, he also had some more "orders", and many ink cartoons on the entrances of villages and the walls along the streets were made by him. These paintings are specially created according to the characteristics of each village, and make people feel the achievements of economic and social development in an easy-to-understand form.

In recent years, many government agencies and units such as discipline inspection, procuratorate, environmental protection, and taxation have taken the initiative to ask members of the Frog Comics Association to write manuscripts, and use comics to promote policies, interpret laws, and advocate environmental protection. Ren Guangqiang said that this requires them to create cartoons that are not only thoughtful, but also maintain a sense of humor so that people can remember them. This is a new challenge for them, and it also promotes the new development of comics in the new era.

"If you want to draw good content, you need to study the original text, study the text, and understand the spirit of the document." Ren Guangqiang said that after receiving a similar task, everyone gathered at the Frog Comics Association to learn and discuss creation together.

Some of the cartoon works of the members of the frog comics have also been published in volumes. The newly published book series such as "Small Comics, Big Times" showcased about 1,000 works by the Frog Comics Association, and sold more than 10,000 copies in the first year.

Since 2023, the backbone members of the Qiu County Frog Comics Association have entered the county's primary and secondary schools and become ideological and political education teachers, using "ideological and political + comics" to carry out moral education for students. At the same time, schools in Qiu County have established ideological and political comics clubs with after-school services as the carrier, encouraging students to draw cartoons by themselves, and integrating ideological and political comics into classroom sitcoms, allegro clubs, reading clubs and other activities, forming a new teaching model of "comic education".

Qiu County also relied on the advantage of enriching the cartoons of the integrity of the county, and built the integrity of the cartoon museum, through the sound and light and other forms, showing more than 1,000 cartoons and dozens of cartoons of the integrity. At present, this museum has been recognized as a provincial clean government education base by Hebei Province, and since the beginning of this year, nearly 30,000 people from all over the country have walked into the museum to receive education.

Comics are influencing political customs and folk customs in a special form, and they are also constantly sublimated in the needs of society and integrated into people's modern life.

Comics are not only made on paper, walls, and exhibition boards, but also quietly become personalized shirts and cultural and creative products through "comics+", and enter thousands of households.

A garment factory in Qiu County printed the comic pattern of "Chinese Dream Cow Spirit" on shirts and cultural shirts, which was loved by customers all over the country and brought more than 2 million yuan of revenue to the company. Zhao Shaoying, the head of the company, said that the farmer cartoon elements have allowed them to find new sales growth points, and plans to develop more similar products in the future.

At present, the members of the Frog Comics Association have also turned comics into cultural and creative products, creating gourd paintings, lacquer paintings, and goose egg paintings, and they also plan to customize and develop for scenic spots, so that comics can open up a broader market.

Nowadays, a large number of college students majoring in animation and art have also joined the Frog Comics Association, and they use their professional knowledge and modern painting techniques to give comics a new space for development in reality and on the Internet.

Zhang Yalei, 30, is the son of Zhang Aixue, who majored in fine arts and taught art at a local middle school after graduating from university. In addition to the normal art teaching, comics are also an indispensable element in his class. Recently, Zhang Yalei is using his spare time to create comic works of idioms and allusions on computers and tablets. "Sit back and enjoy it" and "spare no effort"...... Each idiom has been turned into lifelike comic courseware, making it easier for children to understand and remember.

"The comics made by the fathers are static, as the 'three generations of frogs', we want to use modern scientific and technological means and communication methods to try to make static comics into animation, and use new communication channels to let more young people experience the charm of comics." Zhang Yalei said that in order to make comics into an industry, the Frog Comics Association also set up a farmer animation company to try to promote his hometown in the way of "animation + tourism".

The relevant person in charge of the Qiu County Bureau of Culture and Tourism said that the animation made of comics is more ideological and attractive, and they will introduce animation talents in the future to strive to further marketize the comic industry.

Nowadays, there are many people from all walks of life in Qiu County who like comics, which are not only an art form in the local area, but also a cultural inheritance and an attitude to life. (Reporter Fan Shihui, Zhao Hongyu, Dong Xiaokun)