Xiong Liang – författare

A spirited tale of a small, mythical being who wanders off with the wind – inspired by ancient Chinese poetry and rendered in exquisite silk paintings.Inspired by a classical Chinese poem by Song Yu, Take a Walk With the Wind dives into the world of the treelings, tiny beings that live in China’s ancient mountain forests. If a primeval forest is left alone and not damaged or disturbed for at least several hundred years, it will spontaneously create one of these tiny, special beings. In this wondrous story of one such creature, Xiong brings a puff of wind to life, sending the treeling’s little tangerine cap dancing through the air. Together, the treeling and the wind venture into a dark cave and visit a quiet lake, but the wind makes mischief wherever they go. Xiong is an ink wash artist, writer, and pioneering Chinese illustrator. With soft brushwork on rustling silk paper, Xiong expresses the joys and surprises of new encounters. Those who love Studio Ghibli, Tolkien’s Hobbits, and mythical worlds that combine nature and fantasy, will discover a new, classic tale in Take a Walk With the Wind.

Alice in Wonderland meets Spirited Away: Xiong Liang's propulsive, Chinese mythology-inspired adventure story for kids ages 9-12.Embark on a forbidden journey through Peach Blossom Paradise—a world of mushroom elves and dragon slayers, with brilliantly crafted ink wash illustrations by a renowned Chinese artist.City-girl Little Yu just spent a glorious summer in the countryside with her grandparents. On the last day of her vacation, wishing she could stay forever, Little Yu notices peach blossom petals marching along the surface of the river. They sink and bob to the surface again, a pink rivulet flowing into the distance. Little Yu follows the blossoms to an enormous, mossy stone tablet carved with the histories of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the words: “Prohibited to cross!” Laughing in the face of this restriction, she hikes up a leg, crosses the stone fence, and sinks her feet into the muck and lichen of an ancient forest.The moment Little Yu enters the forest, the world shifts. The peach blossom petals flow backwards, stop, and then begin to spin. Like Lewis Carroll’s Alice going down the rabbit hole or Hayao Miyazaki’s Chihiro entering the spirit world, Little Yu enters a forbidden world and must learn to trust her instincts at every turn. She meets and befriends the realm’s earthly guardians – puckish spirits of mountains, clouds, water, and wind. The first in the seven-book series, Little Yu and the Treelings, Lost in Peach Blossom Paradise is a new fantasy classic. The celebrated artist and writer Xiong Liang masterfully blends ancient Chinese mythology, traditions, and tales, in a story that shares many features with the best graphic novels. Xiong Liang's ink-wash drawings are vivid and meticulous, filling the page with cave dwellings, intricate creature-made tools, towering cypress forests, and a large, graceful hound dog.