The Sixteenth International Conference on Books, Publishing & Libraries

Abstract

The graphic novel series “Paintings to Protect Life” contains six-volumes with 450 religion-themed Chinese cartoons and classic poems, illustrated and co-written by Zikai Feng (1898-1975) and published between 1929 and 1979. Feng was a Kulapati Buddhist, his “Paintings to Protect Life” series was more than one-tenth of his entire life’s output, as a memorial to his teacher the Dharma Master Hongyi (1880-1942). Feng (1949) believes “…Buddhism’s underdevelopment and lack of enlightenment is due to the fact that its doctrines are too serious and too profound, which are hard for the common people to accept. It should open more convenient doors, stretch more rules to accommodate, from shallow to deep, and the outcomes of promoting dharma will definitely be enlarged.” Also, he often borrowed ideas from the “Paintings to Protect Life” to apply to his other Chinese cartoons in which Buddhist sentiments were more cultural than religious. In this research, I will introduce this series’ creation process and publication stories, summarize Feng’s graphic style and design, and analyze elements and perspectives applied in storytelling and final presentation.