Many people that I met were curious about China, but their impressions of China would end up with words like ‘communist,’ ‘pollution’ and ‘no Facebook.’ While many facts are true, the contemporary, living and multifaceted Chinese life is rarely heard of.
我遇到的许多人都对中国十分好奇,不过他们对中国的印象往往止于“社会主义”,“污染”,“没有脸书网”等字眼。虽然大多数这样的字眼都是符合事实的,但当代的,活生生的,多姿多彩的中国式生活却是鲜为人知的。

I started "tiny eyes" comics a year ago in the hope of sharing Chinese culture through everyday life. In lots of my comics, I compare Chinese culture to western culture. Through comparison, we realise how differently we act in front of the same situation and how we tend to think in a certain way instead of another. In the end, every culture is "weird" in its way, but it’s also the weirdness that makes it interesting.
一年以前我开始创作“小眼睛”漫画,希望能描绘中国人日常生活的样子,分享中国文化。在我的许多漫画中,我将中国文化与西方文化进行了对比。通过对比,我们发现自己在相同的情景中做出的反应非常迥异,我们倾向于以特定的思考方式思考,而不是另外的思考方式。最后,所有的文化都有其“古怪”之处,而正是这古怪之处让文化充满趣味。

1.French Culture
法国文化

(从左至右):main dish主菜 salad沙拉 snail蜗牛 main dish主菜 fish鱼 butter黄油 dessert甜点

Chinese culture
中国文化

Everything所有的东西

2. I love you, mom.
我爱你,妈妈。

Look after your health mom. Remember to put on more clothes, it’s getting cold. I bought you a pair of wool gloves.
保重身体,妈妈。天冷了,记得多穿一件衣服。我给你买了一双羊绒手套。

3. Hey I got a tattoo in Chinese.
看,我纹了一个汉字纹身。

—— Cool, can I see it?
太酷了。我能看看吗?

——Sure.
好呀。

Does it mean “love and peace”?
这几个字的意思是不是“爱与和平”?

—— No. It says “chicken soup”.
不,它的意思是“鸡汤”。

4. You guys never age ?
中国人都不会变老吗?

5. Beauty product ads in China: immediate whitening effect
中国的护肤品广告:立现美白功效

Beauty product ads in the West: beautiful tan today
西方的护肤品广告:今天拥有小麦色皮肤

6. Inseparable friends on tables
餐桌上形影不离的好朋友

In the west: salt and pepper
在西方:盐与胡椒粉

In China: soy sauce and vinegar
在中国:酱油与醋

7. British:You have to share your dorm room with one person?
英国人:你要和一个人同住一间宿舍?

Chinese: You share your dorm room with only one person?
中国人:你只和一个人同住一间宿舍?

8. I’m from China, Nice to meet you.
我来自中国。很高兴认识你。

——don’t eat my cat.
不要吃我的猫。

9. She never looks at me when she talks.
她跟我说话的时候从来不看着我。

——Well she is probably lying.
好吧,也许她在说谎。

10. This is my friend Theo.
这是我的朋友Theo。

Glad to meet you.
认识你很高兴。

Did he just kissed me?
他刚刚是不是亲了我一下?

11.I eat to work.
我吃饭是为了工作。

——I work to eat.
我工作是为了吃饭。

 

12. But how do you eat soup with chopsticks ?
不过你怎么用筷子喝汤呢?

 

(翻译:小木)