From image anxiety to image turn: the commencement of graphic narrative in Chinese children’s literature

Abstract

There is a profound image anxiety in the children’s education in ancient
China. The entertainment and bionic nature of images are considered harmful to children’s
growth, picture books are therefore strictly restricted for children to access. This
image anxiety had gradually changed with the process of visualization in modern Chinese
society. Children are able to construct the legitimacy of viewing in a new cognitive
paradigm, carry out their own visual practice, and establish a connection between viewing
and knowing. The commencement and development of graphic narrative is a key
step. It is accompanied by the renewal of image concepts and graphic narrative methods.
Out of respect for the unique attributes of children’s vision, such as subjectivity, Chinese
children’s literature graphic narrative has opened up a visual field full of imagination,
enriching Chinese modern and contemporary visual culture. The emergence of graphic
narration in children’s literature has become the embryo of picture book in Chinese children’s
literature, and an indispensable link in the history of Chinese picture books before
their development. It has experienced a special historical development process, absorbed
western cultural resources, and broken through the shackling of tradition.