Emmy-nominated and Chinese-exiled journalist Melissa Chan teamed up with global activist artist Badiucao to create their graphic novel Chan says is cheekily titled after a Mao Zedong quote, “You Must Take Part in Revolution”. The co-creators spoke in Taipei this Wednesday on the first leg of their book tour.
Badiucao (left) and Melissa Chan (right) say the graphic novel took over four years to complete. (Photo: Rti)
Melissa Chan worked as a freelance journalist in Hong Kong before being hired as a China correspondent at Al Jazeera English’s Beijing bureau. Chan, a U.S. national, was forced to leave China in 2012 as part of a nationalist uprising against foreign journalists, and has mostly worked as a foreign affairs reporter since. Badiucao said creating in his home country of China was too dangerous, prompting his move to Australia, where he further pursued arts and gained citizenship.
Written by Chan and illustrated by Badiucao, the story for the near-future dystopian graphic novel is set in the year 2035 when the U.S. and China are at war, and Taiwan is divided into two.
The title draws from Mao Zedong's quote, "If you want to know the theory and methods of revolution, you must take part in revolution." (Photo: Rti)
Badiucao said that Taiwan is the only place in the world where they could release a Mandarin-Chinese version of the graphic novel given its storyline, and hopes this will be a possibility, but for now only an English version is available.
The remaining five legs of the book tour will all take place in the United States, including stops in Los Angeles, New York City, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.