Brushes with rural childhood brings countryside into view
Golden Childhood, an illustrated book about a Shanghai folk art form, will be published by UK-based Balestier Press. With 21 paintings by Chen Huifang, a folk artist from the city’s Jinshan district, the book vividly portrays idyllic scenes of rural life in China.
A Shanghai folk tradition that originated in the embroidery and stove paintings of South China, the paintings of the rural residents of Jinshan district are known for their artistic exaggeration and intense color contrasts, which capture the essence of the customs and landscapes of the southern Yangtze River Delta regions.
Born in Shanghai in 1970, Chen learned to paint from her father, Chen Fulin, who pioneered Jinshan folk painting.
During her 30-year career as a professional artist, Chen Huifang has produced more than 400 paintings, many of which have received awards at national art exhibitions and have been featured in the Chinese media. Her acclaimed piece, Jiangnan Village received the highest award at the Chinese Farmer Painting Excellent Works Exhibition.
“I’d expect to be invited to publish this book by a foreign publisher. When I showed my works in the United Kingdom, Austria and Estonia before at solo exhibitions and cultural exchange events, my folk paintings already attracted many viewers,” she says.
It was a casual meeting with author Shen Yang that led to the idea for the book.
During the Lunar New Year celebrations in 2021, Shen visited Chen Huifang’s studio in Jinshan for the first time. Captivated by the scenes depicted in the paintings, she decided to collaborate with Chen Huifang to convey personal stories through illustrations.
Golden Childhood is about the whimsical childhood world of the book’s main character Yangyang, where animals and water are supporting characters too.
The illustrations depict the games popular with children in the Chinese countryside, such as sliding down haystacks, riding straw horses, and making grape popsicles. Festive New Year scenes, including dragon and lion dances and bustling market gatherings, are also beautifully illustrated.
This book celebrates the simple pleasures of life, the joys of playing freely outdoors and enjoying nature, and is sprinkled with interesting nuggets of Chinese culture and the old ways of living.
It took more than a year for Golden Childhood to be released to foreign readers. The book was published last year. “I can’t believe there are such beautiful paintings,” stated an editor with the publishing company.
Founded in 2015, Balestier Press is an independent publisher dedicated to presenting the hidden gems of contemporary world literature, including picture books, graphic novels and memoirs, and has a particular focus on Asia and the Pacific.
The book not only exquisitely captures rural life, but serves as a cultural ambassador, a showcase of China’s historical richness, the critics say. Chen Huifang says its publication has boosted her confidence and will inform future efforts to present Chinese culture to foreign readers.
“I believe it is the enduring vitality of China’s outstanding traditional culture that captivates and endears foreign readers,” the illustrator says.