An artist in China has been amusing and educating people on social media by sharing comics about Chinese culture and how it differs from Western ones.
Siyu, who hails from Beijing, posts illustrations for a comic series called “tiny eyes.”
The artist, who spent the last 10 years in France, the U.K. and the U.S., also shares them on Instagram, with 12,300 followers and counting.
“I started writing comics one year ago, after having the idea of ‘Tiny Eyes’ comics,” Siyu told NextShark. “Before that I’ve never created anything similar, but I decided to try because I think it’s a simple yet powerful way to tell a story combining words and images.”
Check out some of Siyu’s works below:
“During years of living abroad, I found that many people were curious to know about China, but their impressions of China often end up with words like ‘communist,’ ‘pollution’ and ‘no Facebook.’” she said. “While many facts are true, the contemporary, living and multi-faceted Chinese life is rarely heard of. So I started this comic series in the hope of sharing Chinese culture through everyday life.”
Siyu says that foreigners typically build their perception of China through major news media. She hopes that she can change the heavily political-oriented image of China.
“I realized that there lacks alternative channels for foreigners to learn about China, and I hope to create a space that’s genuine, intimate and fun,” she said.
“Personally I think that one culture can never fully understand another culture, just like one person can never fully understand another person. But we could choose to listen to each other and to see better.”
We love Siyu’s comics! Did you like the illustrations, too? Follow the series on Instagram for more!