This study examined the aspects of traditional Chinese ideologies being reproduced in picture books. The reason is that the most remarkable growth area in China, the world’s largest children’s book market, is picture books, and among them, traditi...
This study examined the aspects of traditional Chinese ideologies being reproduced in picture books. The reason is that the most remarkable growth area in China, the world’s largest children’s book market, is picture books, and among them, traditional culture picture books are in the spotlight as a practice of glocalism, and are being transformed into various cultural contents.
The research results are as follows. First, this study examined the nature of the text narrator, the relationship between the text and the picture, and the reproducibility of tradition through paratext. The narrators of the traditional Chinese culture picture books are mostly third-person adult narrators holding to an enlightening attitude. The pictorial narrators wanted to show tradition by borrowing traditional art forms. Paratexts use various traditional art forms very well. However, in the picture books, there are discipline for obedience or vertical hierarchy in favor of delivering proven knowledge.
Second, the nowness of tradition was examined through the questions of whose desire the tradition represents and why the tradition is needed now. The picture books emphasize traditional ethics and the trend, defend patriarchal order, and make the Han Chineses’ agrarian culture Chinese identity. There is also an attempt to preempt the 24 seasonal divisions in the cultural heritage competition.
Third, the consumption of tradition was examined through expected readers and cultural content transformations. There are various forms of cultural transformation: sand painting show, three-dimensional book, audio book, kindergarten mini class, elementary school curriculum, museum cultural lectures, hands-on activities, and holiday gift sets consisting of game, making kits and picture books.
Chinese traditional ideologies in picture books are shown in the aspects of the enlightenment in the viewpoint of adults, cultural marketing for urbanites and top-down Chinese cultural policies, and are consumed in the various forms of interesting children’s cultural content.