With support from the Ministry of Culture, Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office (TRO) in Germany and the Chinese Animation & Comic Publishers Association, Taiwanese manga artist Ruan Guang-min (阮光民) will be representing Taiwan at one of Germany's largest and most representative art and cultural convention, Manga-Comic-Con (MCC), presenting works under the theme "T-Comics."
The event, running from April 27 to 30, is returning to Leipziger after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Before the official event kicks off, Ruan will be holding a sharing session at the TRO in Germany where he will talk about his inspirations and observations on Taiwanese manga. A signing and drawing event will also be held, along with Taiwanese snacks that will be served in correspondence to the manga content, providing German audiences with a full taste of Taiwan.
Ruan, a two-time winner of the Comic of the Year award at the 11th and 13th Golden Comic Awards & Connection+, is skilled at capturing the lives of Taiwan's common people and the warmth and ethics between people. His works are deeply imbued with humanistic colors and his simple and warm painting style was also recognized with the Silver Award at the 14th Japan International Manga Award. "Dong-Huachun Barbershop (東華春理髮廳)," which explores family relationships and life issues through the protagonist's doubts and regrets, is the artist’s representative work, and also the first Taiwanese original comic to be adapted into a TV drama.
The first episode of Dong-Huachun Barbershop has been licensed to the Swiss publishing company, Chinabooks E.Wolf (華瑞圖書網), for bilingual publication in Mandarin and German. During the convention, the series will be introduced in English, and the "Taiwan IP Showcase (T-Comics)" theme website will be launched to showcase online English preview versions of 15 Taiwanese comic books and 10 novels from 14 publishing companies. Additionally, visitors can also request a limited edition brochure.