Lampooning 1997 with the Hong Kong Cartoonist Zunzi

In addition to international politics and major political figures, he draws much of his material from the situation in Hong Kong since talks between the Communist Chinese and the British regarding Hong Kong's future began five or six years back. He manages to hit almost every nail on the head with his satires on the attitudes of the Hong Kong government, the actions of the Communist Chinese, and the state of mind and reactions of the people of Hong Kong to their current situation.

One point of concern for Hong Kong residents following the "Sino-British Joint Declaration" of three years ago was that people of Hong Kong, who must use British passports, would not be allowed to emigrate to Great Britain. Zunzi responded with a cartoon of Queen Elizabeth being welcomed to Hong Kong by a huge crowd at the dock, each person holding an empty rice bowl and pleading in unison: "Please! A first-class passport!"

When initial resistance to threats against freedom of the press began to weaken, and Hong Kong legislative council members passed the unpopular Revised Public Order Ordinance, Zunzi made this commentary:

Woman to doctor: "I just can't understand why my husband has suddenly gone deaf."

Doctor: "What line of work is he in?"

Women: "He's a member of the legislative council."

Zunzi has already drawn over 2,000 cartoons on the subject of the 1997 "deadline." The one feature they all share is "daring." Zunzi's characters all have the guts to say what lots of people of Hong Kong are thinking but don't dare to express openly. And this is one of the main attractions of his creations.

"I pick up an extra newspaper just to read Zunzi's cartoons," says one Hong Kong taxi driver, whose main motivation to buy newspapers is the horse-racing section.

Political cartoons have been mushrooming ever since the Chinese Communist-British talks began. Zunzi has teamed himself up with some of Hong Kong's most outstanding cartoon talent in a shared studio. Together they discuss and explore new political trends in Hong Kong and abroad, and provide a good part of the political cartoons that appear in Hong Kong's mass media. But Zunzi stands out as perhaps having the most mature cartoon sense and as being an exceptionally accurate "marksman" in his art.

When Zunzi was an art student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, he often engaged in political discussion and debate with others concerned about China's future. He eventually came to give up his watercolors to combine two of his major life interests in the form of political cartooning. He felt that his cartoons had a story to tell, were a satisfying kind of self-expression, and were a challenge that intrigued him.

Good political cartoons do not just roll off an artist's fingertips.

"My cartoons have nothing to do with 'inspiration,'" he asserts. Every day he reads newspapers and watches the news on television, even plowing through commentaries others might skip over with a yawn. This gives him a reserve of background information and insight, invaluable when a major news story breaks.

In formulating commentary on events in South Africa, for example, it is necessary to understand the development of race relations there over many years. "It is not possible to pick up a pen and draw after looking at just one sudden event," he says. So a great deal of lead-up work is behind each and every cartoon.

On the issue of spending huge amounts of money on English language education, for instance, Zunzi went out to ask all kinds of people, including the man on the street, English teachers, and students. He has a firm principle of not just getting the opinion of high-level authorities. And he keeps on top of current colloquial speech and popular slang. This helps keep the cartoons light, lively, and plugged into their time and locale.

As Zunzi's popularity continues to grow, his cartoons turn up in more and more places, like in the literature of political organizations, and in posters.

Zunzi's spoofs inevitably step on some toes, and friends often urge him to exercise more restraint in his work. Zunzi has been rebuked outright, and has received threatening letters and phone calls. "You find all kinds in Hong Kong," he says with a shrug, and a circling motion of his forefinger near his head.

It seems a little difficult to reconcile Zunzi's gentle and quiet exterior with his unbridled art. "That's because I know how to conceal my real self," he explains. A caricature he has drawn of himself lacks his typical bookish appearance, and is a perfectly silly portrait. Why so? "Because I'm really very silly inside," he chuckles.

This self-proclaimed "silly" man, however, has a very serious wish: that after the year 1997 he can continue to draw in the same carefree way he does now.

[Picture Caption]

Holding a self-portrait, Zunzi flashes a smile. (photo by Chung Yung-ho)

The Chinese Communists' lack of faith in keeping promises was satirized by Zunzi this way. A Hong Kong housewife makes a local dish as a "special" treat to welcome Queen Elizabeth.

The people of Hong Kong are worried that internal changes on the mainland will make Teng Hsiao-p'ing's guarantee of "fifty years without change" go up in smoke after he's gone . To show how healthy he is, the Communists have Teng swimming, smoking, playing cards, planting a tree, and--being asked to perform ballet.

This cartoon was drawn by Ma Lung, a friend of Zunzi. A leftist official and a leftist businessmen are pleased about the arrival of the Communists, until the one loses his business and the other his position--then they call for freedom and elections.

The Chinese Communists are seeking to lure Taiwan with their so-called " one country two systems" formula. In the cartoon, the Communist cadre on the left shouts that the people of Hong Kong will get everything they want. When the Hong Kong representative asks him why he shouted so loudly, the cadre replies that he's not speaking to him but to "those people across the strait."

This cartoon satirizes the political apathy of many Hong Kong residents.