The National Palace Museum (NPM) on Thursday agreed to host an exhibition featuring the works of graphic novelist Uen Cheng (鄭問) following efforts by the Ministry of Culture and lawmakers to stop the exhibition from being held in China.
Cheng made a name for himself in 1984 with the Black Panther Warrior (黑豹戰士) and was known for his style that incorporated dark colors and thick lines.
His adoption of the Chinese classic style of water and ink, with a mixture of Western techniques, made his comics popular, drew the attention of Japanese comics fans and aroused interest with his The Legend of Heros in East Chou Dynasty (東周英雄傳).
Photo courtesy of Chung Meng-shun
Cheng passed away on March 26 from heart attack at the age of 58.
A former student, Taipei City Comic Union president Chung Meng-shun (鍾孟舜) said that Cheng’s works were influential in the industry.
Founding a Cheng Uen museum or hosting an exhibit for Cheng’s manuscripts and published works would have been a normal response to his death for an artist of his stature, Chung said.
However, during preparations to mount an exhibition, the government paid no heed to the event; the only parties interested in hosting the exhibit were all from China, he said.
One Chinese gaming company offered 3.5 million yuan (US$500,115) to buy the intellectual property rights to Cheng’s Tales of Assassins (刺客列傳) to make it into a video game and a movie, Chung said, adding that other companies were also willing to pay royalties to host an exhibition of Cheng’s works.
An agreement with a Chinese company was supposed to be signed on Friday, Chung said.
He said he was saddened at the prospect of Taiwanese having to travel to another nation to see the works of a Taiwanese artists.
Upon hearing that Cheng’s works were to be exhibited in China, Democratic Progressive Party legislators Pasuya Yao (姚文智) and Wu Ssu-yao (吳思瑤) contacted the ministry, hoping to dissuade Chung from signing the agreement with the Chinese firm.
There were only two considerations about the exhibit: money and scale, Chung said.
“If it is the museum [hosting the exhibition], then I will not haggle about the price,” Chung said after being contacted by the museum, adding that he felt the museum commanded a high enough status to host his mentor’s works.
Chung also said that only by holding the exhibit at the museum could the nation keep Cheng Uen in Taiwan.
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