Taiwanese Comics

30-second overview: Taiwanese comics once had a golden age as a “Kingdom of Comics”: in the 1970s and 1980s, Japanese manga imports were restricted, and Liu Hsing-chin’s Brother A-san and Great Auntie and Ao Yu-hsiang’s Wulongyuan sustained the local market. After martial law was lifted in the late 1980s, Japanese manga entered Taiwan on a large scale, and local comics entered a downturn that lasted 20 years. At the same time, however, two masters left their mark on the international stage: in 1991, Chen Uen became the first non-Japanese recipient of the Japan Cartoonists Association Award for Excellence with Heroes of the Eastern Zhou, earning the title “Asian Treasure”; Tsai Chih-chung’s 1986 Zhuangzi Speaks remained on the bestseller list for 10 consecutive months, reinterpreting classical philosophy through comics. After the Golden Comic Awards were established in 2010 and the Creative Comic Collection digital platform launched in 2017, works such as Ruan Guang-min’s Donghuachun Barbershop, Sayling Wen Cultural Foundation’s Gate of Heaven, and Wei Tsung-cheng’s Formosa Oolong Tea brought Taiwanese history and culture into the language of contemporary comics.

Kingdom of Comics: The Birth and Fall of a Golden Age

From the 1970s to the 1980s, Taiwan was once Asia’s “Kingdom of Comics.” The conditions of the time made this achievement possible: the government restricted Japanese manga imports, giving local creation room to survive; economic takeoff created consumer purchasing power, and teenagers had money to buy comics; printing technology improved, lowering publishing costs. Under this unusually favorable set of historical conditions, Taiwanese comics entered their first golden age.¹

Liu Hsing-chin was a founding figure of Taiwanese comics. His Brother A-san and Great Auntie created the first group of classic characters in the history of Taiwanese comics. Brother A-san’s simplicity and Great Auntie’s shrewdness reflected the many facets of Hakka village life while also presenting the plain social atmosphere of Taiwan at the time. Liu was both a cartoonist and a cultural recorder, preserving the memories of that era in comics.¹

Ao Yu-hsiang’s Wulongyuan represented another possibility for Taiwanese comics. The comic duo of the plump master and thin master, along with the senior disciple’s adventures, infused a martial-arts framework with a strong Taiwanese flavor. The success of Wulongyuan proved that Taiwanese comics could develop their own language of humor and modes of narration beyond the dominant style of Japanese manga.¹

But the good times did not last. In the late 1980s, as political liberalization and economic deregulation advanced, Japanese manga entered the Taiwanese market in force. The violent aesthetics of Fist of the North Star, the magnificent battles of Saint Seiya, and the superpower fantasies of Dragon Ball quickly won over Taiwanese readers with their refined production and tightly plotted stories. Local comics retreated step by step under this cultural incursion, and the dream of the Kingdom of Comics was shattered.¹

Chen Uen: An Eastern Aesthetic That Conquered Japan

Chen Uen (1958-2017), born Cheng Chin-wen, was the most important international master in Taiwanese comics. He began creating comics in 1984 and, in 1990, was invited by Japan’s Kodansha to develop his career in Japan, becoming the first Taiwanese comics artist to serialize work in a mainstream Japanese manga magazine.²

In 1991, Chen Uen won the Japan Cartoonists Association Award for Excellence for Heroes of the Eastern Zhou, becoming the first non-Japanese winner in the award’s 20-year history. Japan’s Asahi Shimbun praised him as a “genius, uncanny talent, and singular talent unmatched in the comics world for twenty years,” and the Japanese manga world called him an “Asian Treasure.”²

Chen Uen’s breakthrough lay in creating a comics aesthetic without precedent. He fused the expressive abstraction of ink painting, the refinement of meticulous brushwork, and the light-and-shadow techniques of Western painting to establish a distinctive Eastern visual language. Every page of Heroes of the Eastern Zhou displays an astonishing artistic standard: character designs are powerful and imposing, scenes are expansive and magnificent, and the dynamism of battle scenes reaches an unprecedented level.³

Beyond technical innovation, Chen was also a pioneer in media experimentation. Traditional brush and ink, computer graphics, oil paints, and digital compositing were all tools he used to explore the most suitable expressive methods for each subject. This experimental spirit kept his work fresh and opened new possibilities for the entire comics field.

Chen Uen’s success carried important cultural significance. In an era when Japanese manga dominated Asian markets, a Taiwanese comics artist receiving such acclaim in Japan proved the creative strength of Taiwan and set an example for other Asian creators. More importantly, through exquisite visuals, he presented the depth and beauty of ancient Chinese culture to the world.

Tsai Chih-chung: A Comics Revolution in Classical Philosophy

Tsai Chih-chung’s creative career underwent an important turn. In his early years, he was known for humorous comics such as Wulongyuan, and in 1981 his The Seven-Colored Old Master Q won the Golden Horse Award for Best Animated Feature. But what truly secured his place in comics history was the project he began in the mid-1980s to adapt Chinese classics into comics.⁴

In 1986, Tsai published Zhuangzi Speaks: The Music of Nature. The work achieved unprecedented success, staying on bestseller lists for 10 consecutive months and opening a new path for interpreting classical texts through comics. The key to its success was that Tsai found a bridge between classical philosophy and modern readers: concise linework and humorous dialogue made difficult concepts accessible.⁴

The success of Zhuangzi Speaks launched a series of works based on the classics. From 1987 onward, Tsai successively published Laozi Speaks, Liezi Speaks, The Art of War, The Platform Sutra, and other works, covering almost the full essence of classical Chinese thought. Each work demonstrates his deep understanding of the original texts: behind the spare lines is a creative re-expression grounded in careful comprehension.

Beyond their explosive popularity in the Chinese-speaking world, Tsai’s works have been translated into multiple languages and distributed globally. His success proved that classical thought still has vitality in modern society; the key is finding the right form of expression. The meaning of this cultural innovation far exceeds individual creative achievement.⁴

📝 Curator’s Note
Chen Uen’s conquest of Japan represented a route of “bringing Taiwan outward,” while Tsai Chih-chung’s introduction of classical Chinese philosophy to the world represented a route of “reinterpreting culture through comics.” Both routes unfolded in the 1990s, when Japanese manga was fully occupying the local market. To a great extent, the international influence of Taiwanese comics grew by “bypassing the mainstream market.”

The Downturn: A Struggle for Survival Under Japanese Manga Pressure

From the 1990s to the early 2000s, Taiwanese comics entered a dark period. The comics sections of bookstores were occupied by Japanese works, and long-running series such as Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach became the shared language of teenagers. Local comics nearly disappeared from readers’ view.¹

This predicament had multiple causes. First was the quality gap: Japan’s industrialized production model, professional division of labor, and mature market mechanisms allowed it to continuously produce high-quality works, while Taiwanese comics were mostly created by individuals and lacked systematic cultivation and support. Second was cultural preference: the fantasy settings, refined art styles, and complex plots of Japanese manga better matched young readers’ tastes, while the comparatively plain style of Taiwanese comics seemed outdated. Finally, there was the problem of distribution: publishers were more willing to license successful Japanese works than to invest in riskier local creations.

Even in the most difficult period, however, some creators persisted. Hsiao Yen-chung’s Short Circuits in Fairy Tales reinterpreted classic fairy tales through black humor, showing the possibilities of adult comics. Yu Su-lan’s girls’ comic Angel Heart was warm and healing, allowing a local flower to bloom amid the dominance of Japanese-style shōjo manga. Chang Fang-chih’s Shou Niang attempted to combine Taiwanese history with modern comics techniques, seeking new expressive forms for local subject matter.¹

Although these works did not create major market sensations, they preserved the spark of Taiwanese comics. They proved that even in the harshest environment, the passion for creation still existed, and local voices still deserved to be heard.

Golden Comic Awards: Official Support as a Mark of Quality

In 2010, the Council for Cultural Affairs (now the Ministry of Culture) established the Golden Comic Awards, an important milestone in the history of Taiwanese comics. A government-level award brought comics into the formal support system for cultural creation and demonstrated official recognition of comics as a cultural form.⁵

The establishment of the Golden Comic Awards changed the ecology of Taiwanese comics. It provided a platform for outstanding works, offered creators a goal to strive toward, and gave readers a mark of quality. More importantly, it raised society’s overall recognition of the artistic value of comics. The award’s evaluation criteria reflect an emphasis on the artistry and cultural significance of comics, placing originality, artistic standard, and cultural substance ahead of commercial success.

Winning works across the history of the Golden Comic Awards show the rich range of Taiwanese comics. Historical subjects, science-fiction futures, social realism, and fantasy adventures all appear among the winners, reflecting both the complexity of Taiwanese society and the imagination of creators. While entertaining readers, these works also record changes in Taiwanese society.

Creative Comic Collection: A Digital Platform for Cultural and Creative Revival

In 2009, the Council for Cultural Affairs, the predecessor of the Ministry of Culture, launched Creative Comic Collection (CCC). This publication, combining comics, fiction, and historical knowledge, became a key base for the revival of Taiwanese comics. CCC was both a comics magazine and a cultural experiment: it sought to prove that Taiwan’s history and culture could become compelling creative material, and that local comics could reach international standards of quality.⁶

In 2017, the Creative Comic Collection digital platform went online. In 2021, responsibility for it shifted from the Ministry of Culture’s Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program to the Taiwan Creative Content Agency. The platform’s role changed from a simple collection of creative works into “an accelerator connecting Taiwanese comics to the market.” The platform provides paid reading and reader donation functions, allowing creators to receive tangible financial support.⁷

Ruan Guang-min’s Donghuachun Barbershop depicts changes across eras with delicate brushwork, Xerses’s Gate of Heaven recreates the tragedy and grandeur of the First Sino-Japanese War, and Wei Tsung-cheng’s Formosa Oolong Tea packages Taiwanese tea culture as a fantasy adventure. Beyond refined visuals, these works also carry deep cultural substance. They tell readers that Taiwan’s stories are not boring at all: with the right method, local subjects can also be compelling.⁶

CCC’s success lies not only in the improvement of work quality, but also in how it changed public perceptions of Taiwanese comics. Local comics, it showed, were not limited to gag-based four-panel strips; they could also handle serious historical themes. They did not have to imitate Japanese styles, but could develop a distinctive Taiwanese aesthetic. They did not have to survive only in niche markets, but could receive recognition from mainstream society.

Independent Comics and the Internet Generation

In the late 2000s, the digital revolution brought new opportunities to Taiwanese comics. Online platforms lowered the threshold for publication, social media expanded distribution channels, and digital drawing tools improved production quality. A new generation of creators began to emerge online. They no longer tried to imitate Japanese manga, but told their own stories in their own ways.

Cherng’s illustrated works heal readers through small everyday pleasures, 61Chi’s works use cute characters to convey reflections on life, and Dongyang’s illustrations combine traditional culture with modern design. These creators are not necessarily professional comics artists, but through the power of the internet they have made original Taiwanese content visible again.

Independent comics cover more diverse subjects: close observation of personal life, in-depth discussion of social issues, experimental artistic expression, and cross-media innovation have each developed in their own direction. Many independent comics have received positive responses at international comics festivals or art exhibitions, proving the international competitiveness of Taiwan’s independent comics. Social media has provided independent comics with effective promotional channels, allowing creators to reach readers directly through platforms such as Facebook and Instagram and build personal brands.

In recent years, webcomic platforms such as LINE WEBTOON have given creators new channels for publication; cross-media collaborations allow comics IP to extend into animation, games, and merchandise; and international collaboration has opened overseas markets for Taiwanese creators. These trends show that Taiwanese comics are exploring new models of development.

Cultural Significance: From “Kingdom of Comics” to “Original Voice”

Over the past 50 years, Taiwanese comics have passed from the prosperity of the 1970s “Kingdom of Comics,” through the downturn of the 1990s, to the cultural and creative revival that followed the 2010s. These rises and falls reflect the cultural struggles of Taiwanese society amid globalization: How can local characteristics be preserved under the impact of powerful outside cultures? How can a balance be found between imitation and learning on one hand, and original innovation on the other? How should choices be made between commercial considerations and cultural value?

Chen Uen’s Eastern aesthetics, Tsai Chih-chung’s philosophical comics, the officially supported Golden Comic Awards, independent creation driven by civil society, Ruan Guang-min’s historical narratives, and Cherng’s illustrated everyday life all show the rich creative energy and cultural depth of Taiwanese comics.

The revival of Taiwanese comics is both an industrial question and a question of cultural identity. When Taiwanese comics artists begin to depict Taiwan’s stories in their own strokes, and when readers begin to identify with local works, what we see is the reconstruction of cultural confidence. This confidence is an open form of cultural self-awareness: appreciating the strengths of outside cultures while also cherishing the characteristics of one’s own culture.

Further Reading

• Taiwanese anime and manga culture — Anime, manga, and comics consumption culture from the reader’s perspective: cosplay, doujinshi, anime conventions, and generational memory
• Taiwanese cinema — Another axis of visual storytelling in Taiwan
• The development of contemporary Taiwanese literature — The literary layer in the evolution of Taiwan’s creative self-awareness

References

Last verified: 2026-04-19 (Issue #556, proposed by @idlccp1984, recommended merging the original “Taiwanese Comics and Illustration” and “Taiwanese Comics, Anime, and Manga Culture” articles, with the anime and manga culture section separated into Taiwanese anime and manga culture)