Today Shifu and Leping took me to Puxi to visit the home of a legendary Chinese cartoonist called Zhang Leping

Born in 1910 to a poor family he displayed a remarkable artistic talent as a child but he was forced to become apprenticed to a woodcarver to earn money to help support his family instead of finishing his education.

In 1928 though at the age of 18 he was supported by relatives to attend art school where he developed his talent.

Zhang Leping’s passion was for cartoons and children’s drawings. He created the character of San Mao which literally translates to 3 hairs. You can see why…

This delightfully charming character quickly gained popularity. Initially Sam Mao was created to convey the hardship of the Japanese occupation in China through the eyes of children. Sam Mao is innocent and funny but portrayed the realities of life. San Mao became a symbol for the victims of the hardships.

I personally liked the panel where he gets crushed by books!

Zhang Leping’s house in Puxi was a museum to 1930s Shanghai elegance with its interior bathroom and art deco features.

We had a lovely time learning about this influential author and illustrator.

Walking around Puxi’s busy streets afterwards we also saw several very strange buildings

Look at the shape of this one. It’s a wedge. How small is that angle at the back! And it even has windows. What could you possibly put in that space?

It was wonderful to be in temperatures in the low 20s after starting the week in below zero conditions.