Chang, Tintin’s Chinese sidekick is smart and heroic. Even returning much later in Tintin in Tibet.
That’s because Chang is based on the real artist Zhang Chongren. Hergé and Zhang met in Brussels and became lifelong friends. Zhang taught him about Chinese culture and Japanese imperialism.
They lost contact, when Japan invaded. During the cultural revolution, Zhang was a street sweeper for a while but later went on to become the head of the Fine Arts Academy in Shanghai. Tintin met Chang again in “Tintin in Tibet” years before Hergé regained contact with Zhang.
There is nothing better than friendship to educate a racist. It’s not always practical, but still nice, when it happens.
That’s because Chang is based on the real artist Zhang Chongren. Hergé and Zhang met in Brussels and became lifelong friends. Zhang taught him about Chinese culture and Japanese imperialism. They lost contact, when Japan invaded. During the cultural revolution, Zhang was a street sweeper for a while but later went on to become the head of the Fine Arts Academy in Shanghai. Tintin met Chang again in “Tintin in Tibet” years before Hergé regained contact with Zhang.
There is nothing better than friendship to educate a racist. It’s not always practical, but still nice, when it happens.