Ten cartoonists from seven countries were invited to make illustrations of Beijing for the event "World's Artists Illustrate Beijing," launched on April 28 and lasting till May 3.
Their production process includes trips to the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, the Central Business District (CBD), the Olympic Park and other famous landmarks. They will also attend Peking Opera performances and have a bite of Beijing's local food.
Elaborating on the purpose of initiating the activity, Yan Liqiang, vice head of the Beijing Municipality's publicity department, said at its opening ceremony on April 28 that it will not only be a trip of creation, but also a trip of friendship and communication.
"A trip of friendship and communication," as Yan defined, is directly embodied in a scheduled one-on-one day trip each cartoonist will take with a Chinese peer. By comparing each other's picture of the same object, the Chinese and international cartoonists can develop the idea of a "cartoon without borders" and "art without borders."
"In the world's history of cartooning, there are many cases in which a country's scenery and a nation's spirit are illustrated in the form of cartoon,” said Yan. "We got to know Paris through the works of Jean-Jacques Sempé and travelled across Europe by reading Tintin."
French artist Emmanuel Lepage expressed high expectations for working with Chinese peers. He said that the different cultural backgrounds, perspectives and ideas shall all serve as "positive spirits and elements" to facilitate the creation.
"We have discovered a lot about China and its people. We look forward to working with Chinese artists and hope that this opportunity will have a positive yet different influence on our creative work in the future," Lepage said.
