Manhua

Similar to Manga for Japan and Manhwa for Korea, the Chinese versions of these comics are known as Manhua. Manhua (漫画) is the term for Chinese comics and print cartoons, an art form with a long history in China. The earliest examples include 11th century BC stone reliefs and 3000-5000 BC pottery drawings. Satirical, political, and comedic manhua magazines emerged in the late 1800s.

In the 1920s, most picture books were known as Liahuanhua which were smaller compared to the manga books we know of and eventually led to the modern-day Manhuas.

History

The first Chinese Manhua magazine can be dated back to 1928 and was called Shanghai Sketch. Manhua became popular in Shanghai. There were small comic books and magazines people enjoyed reading. During the 1937-1945 war against Japan, manhua encouraged patriotism.

After the communist revolution in China, manhua thrived in Hong Kong but was suppressed on the mainland. In recent years, digital manhua, web comics, and webtoons have become very popular.

Manhua have been an important art form in China for a long time. Another one of the earliest magazines of cartoons was named China Punch is a perfect representation of the Chinese satirical works. They reflect Chinese culture, politics, and history.

The current day Chinese manga is more recognizable for its serious tone and characters as well as a distinctive art style. This can be accredited to a 1982 Manhua named Chinese Hero which has had a huge impact on the industry.

Characteristics

Modern manhua are known for their realistic, detailed art resembling actual people. This lifelike style contrasts with manga’s more cartoonish drawing. Manhua use full color artwork, sometimes with fully painted panels, unlike manga’s typical black and white.

Early manhua (1800s-1930s) featured more serious looking characters compared to manga’s expressive styles. But mid-century Hong Kong translations of Disney and manga/anime brought more cartoon-like, emotive styles to manhua.

Manhua formatting depends on location. Those from mainland China read left-to-right horizontally like Western comics, different from manga. But Hong Kong and Taiwanese manhua read right-to-left vertically, more similar to manga. This reflects differences in government publishing guidelines.

Market Size

Digital manhua, or web manhua, are growing in popularity in China due to the ease of publishing and accessing them online. Major web manhua portals include QQ Comic, U17, and Sina Weibo. Web manhua allow for free reading, color artwork, and reaching audiences without print publication. Some have even been adapted into animated series with Japanese studios.

Web manhua have also become an outlet for political satire and activism, despite government censorship. Artists like Kuang Biao and Rebel Pepper criticize officials and propaganda on microblogs before being deleted. Self-publishing allows bypassing strict print controls.

South Korean webtoons have also grown influential in China recently. Major internet companies operate webtoon portals alongside web manhua. In Taiwan, webtoon portals are run by publishers like Line and Comico.

The global manga market was valued at USD 1.09 billion in 2021 and it is of no doubt that the Manhua industry contributed a significant portion to this with its diverse stories and fascinating culture.

Adaptations

Chinese web manhua have seen increasing adaptations into other mediums in recent years. The web manhua One Hundred Thousand Bad Jokes was adapted into a film of the same name in 2014.

In 2016, two anime series were based on Chinese web manhua – Hitori no Shita: The Outcast adapted Under One Person, and Bloodivores adapted a Bai Xiao manhua. The web manhua Spiritpact was also adapted into a donghua animation series in China in 2016. Additional anime adaptations include a Chinese-Japanese collaboration based on Chōyū Sekai premiering in 2017 and The Silver Guardian anime in 2017 based on the manhua.