Chinese illustrator Yu Rong helps children communicate with the world

Yu Rong is a renowned UK-based illustrator of children's books. Her outstanding art skills and passion for life have won her multiple awards around the world and her work not only brings China to the world, but also raises social awareness for children who need special care from the public. 

Her journey of illustration was inspired by her teacher Quentin Blake, acclaimed illustrator and the UK's inaugural children's laureate, who created many of the images for Roald Dahl's books including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

In 1999, Yu Rong won the Quentin Blake Narrative Illustration award for her illustration showing the story of a couple's morning wake-up and evening wash-up.

Her art journey continued with graduation from the Royal College of Art in London. Later, marriage and the arrival of three children determined her career as an illustrator for children.

Since 1999, Yu Rong has won around 30 international and domestic awards. Among them, the most important one was the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava 'Golden Apple Award', one of the top awards for children's book illustration worldwide. Yu Rong grabbed that title in 2013 for her illustration used in children's book Free as a Cloud, which tells a story of a myna, who wants to break the cage and fly high in nature.

Yu Rong said most of her works were inspired by birds, which symbolize freedom and the willingness to see the world.

Inspiration alone is not enough to make Free as a Cloud a success. The love and passion to traditional Chinese culture and her unique art skills, including Chinese paper cut and painting, make her illustration style one of a kind.

The painting above is from Yu Rong's book Shu Lin's Grandpa, which was shortlisted for the best illustration at the 2022 Yoto Kate Greenaway awards (now Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration), known as the Oscars for children's books in the UK.

And she chooses children's books as a medium to give the world a better understanding of China.

Besides traditional art skills, Yu Rong also believes that modern technology like artificial intelligence should not be neglected. But she found that AI has its own limit in terms of creativity.

In recent years, Yu Rong has devoted herself into books which speak for children who need special care, including children with autism, disability, and the left-behind children in China.

The Visible Sound tells the story of a child with hearing problems trying to explore nature. The book was shortlisted for the best illustration at the 2023 Yoto Carnegie awards. It was also selected by the International Board on Books for Young People as an outstanding Book for Young People with Disabilities. Yu Rong said putting herself into the character was the way to success.

This year, inspired by a true story of one of her friend's children, Yu Rong has illustrated the book The Boy Who Loves to Lick the Wind, her first book addressing autism. It tells the story of how a friendship began between two boys who were both shy at expressing themselves.

Yu Rong told CGTN that she can feel for those special children and expects her books will help readers to understand the world of these children.

So far, Yu Rong has published more than 20 books, in different languages and in more than 20 countries around the world. She hopes her works can go beyond borders to help children who want to explore their world. Recently, Yu Rong joined a venture with Su Zhou University to lead a research center for international art and communication. She hopes the new journey would bring young talents from both China and the UK together to improve mutual understanding and telling good Chinese stories together.

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