''A Chinese Life'' () is a 2012 French

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

co-written by Li Kunwu and Philippe Ôtié and illustrated by Li Kunwu. Edward Gauvin translated the book into English. The book describes Li Kunwu's life during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

.A Chinese Life by Li Kunwu and Philippe Ôtié, translated by Edward Gauvin
"

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) is a migratory museum that shares Asian Pacific American history, art, and culture through innovative museum experiences online and throughout the U.S through the Smithsonian Institution T ...

. Retrieved on 13 February 2015.

Kana are syllabary, syllabaries used to write Japanese phonology, Japanese phonological units, Mora (linguistics), morae. In current usage, ''kana'' most commonly refers to ''hiragana'' and ''katakana''. It can also refer to their ancestor , wh ...

published the French version, and

SelfMadeHero SelfMadeHero is an independent publishing house which specialises in adapting works of literature, as well as producing ground-breaking original fiction in the graphic novel medium. SelfMadeHero's books are distributed in the UK by Abrams & Ch ...

published the English translation. Li Kunwu (born 1955),Smart, James.
A Chinese Life by Li Kunwu and P Ôtié – review
" ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. October 12, 2012. Retrieved on February 13, 2015. an artist, received a proposal to make a graphic novel about his life in 2005. The co-writer, Ôtié, worked for the

French Embassy The French Republic has one of the world's largest diplomatic networks, and is a member of more multilateral organisations than any other country. France's permanent representation abroad began in the reign of Francis I, when in 1522 he sent a d ...

as a commercial counselor/advisor to

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

. It was first published in France; the first volume was published in 2009, and the third and final volume was published in 2011. In 2012 the English version was published in one volume. Clément Benech of ''

Libération (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968 in France, May 1968. Initially positioned on the far left of Fr ...

'' described it as somewhat of an equivalent of '' Vie Française'' by Jean-Paul Dubois.

Reception

James Smart of ''

'' wrote that "This ambitious graphic novel pulls you to the chest of the world's latest superpower, shows you something of what it has gained and lost, and lets you go, 60 years later, drained and intrigued and feeling as though you know China's great, tangled present a little bit better."

References

2009 graphic novels Autobiographical graphic novels Graphic novels set in China French graphic novels Graphic novels set in the 20th century {{2000s-autobio-novel-stub