Chapter 324: Splitting Mountains and Stirring the Seas – The Rise of Mythological Comics
After hearing the proposal, Wu Hailin asked, "Mr. Yang, are you referring to stories like Pangu, Fuxi, Nüwa, Hou Yi?"
"Yes, especially stories from Fengshen Bang (Investiture of the Gods) and Journey to the West," Yang Wendong nodded. "Ancient Huaguo mythology is vast and practically endless. We don't even know how many stories could be adapted from it."
In the short term, without the ability to create Japanese or American-style manga at the same level as in his past life, the most effective strategy was to develop comics based on Chinese mythology. It was the simplest and possibly most impactful route.
Even among Hong Kong and Southeast Asian Chinese communities, these mythological characters were familiar. Just reading the title alone would often be enough for readers to understand the theme. That familiarity was the best promotion.
Even in the 21st-century web novel boom, stories inspired by Fengshen, Journey to the West, or Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Liaozhai) were abundant.
Wu Hailin thought for a moment and said, "These stories are indeed ideal for adaptation. When I was in the mainland, I once worked on a similar project—it was based on the early chapters of Journey to the West."
"Uproar in Heaven?" Yang Wendong asked.
In the early 1950s, the mainland had already begun developing its comic and animation industry, as part of broader cultural construction. Even in a poor country, cultural entertainment had to exist.
In 1961, the Shanghai Animation Film Studio released a cartoon titled Uproar in Heaven, which covered the story of Sun Wukong before he was imprisoned under Five Finger Mountain—arguably the most thrilling segment of Journey to the West.
The film was a massive hit in the mainland. Most people at the time were illiterate, and even among the literate, few could afford to buy a classical edition of Journey to the West. Books were expensive.
So for a population with limited access to cultural entertainment, this cartoon was beyond exciting.
"Yes," Wu Hailin said. "I helped draw part of Uproar in Heaven's storyboard."
Yang Wendong asked, "Which characters from Uproar in Heaven do you think are the most compelling?"
Wu Hailin thought for a moment and replied, "First would be Sun Wukong, obviously. Second, I'd say Erlang Shen. Third would be Nezha, maybe Li Jing.
Characters like the Buddha are powerful, but not particularly memorable."
"Exactly," Yang Wendong agreed. "Sun Wukong goes without saying. But personally, I also like Erlang Shen and Nezha."
Wu Hailin hesitated. "Nezha is great, but isn't Erlang Shen technically an antagonist?"
"Haha, he's just doing his job," Yang Wendong laughed. "He's not really a villain. He's the Jade Emperor's nephew, has some personal grievances with him, and he once split a mountain to save his mother. That act of filial piety alone could be the basis for an entire series."
After pondering briefly, Wu Hailin said, "True. The story of 'Splitting the Mountain to Save His Mother' is compelling. But the ancient records are sparse—unlike Journey to the West, it was never fully written as a book."
"We don't need detailed ancient texts," Yang Wendong replied, shaking his head. "Everyone already knows Erlang Shen and that he saved his mother by splitting a mountain. We just need to create our own version of the story.
Whether it matches the original or not doesn't matter. Even if we adapt Journey to the West, it doesn't have to be exactly like the book."
Many 21st-century fans didn't realize how different the Journey to the West they knew was from the original novel. For instance, in the book, the Jade Emperor wasn't the weak character TV shows often portrayed—hiding under tables and trembling in fear.
But TV's influence is massive, and once a version dominates public imagination, it becomes canon—regardless of accuracy.
"That makes sense. If our version is well written and we promote it properly, people will accept it as the 'real' story," said Zhang Zhiyuan, thoughtfully.
"Exactly," Yang Wendong said. "So we won't rush into drawing just yet. We'll start by plotting the full story—from Erlang Shen's birth, his mother's imprisonment, his travels to seek masters, training, defying the heavens, and finally, saving his mother."
"Got it," Wu Hailin replied, already brainstorming story structures in his head.
Zhang Zhiyuan asked, "Mr. Yang, what about the story of Chen Xiang saving his mother? Should we do that one too?"
"Not yet," Yang Wendong shook his head. "One at a time. Let's start with Erlang Shen—he's more famous."
In his past life, the animated movie Lotus Lantern had made Chen Xiang a household name. But it was Erlang Shen who really stole the spotlight—and even got his own prequel.
This time, Yang Wendong planned to reverse the process. He'd start with Erlang Shen, and save Chen Xiang for later.
As for copying the old film script, that wasn't necessary. In many ancient versions of the story, Yang Jian successfully rescued his mother, not died tragically like in The Lotus Lantern: Prequel.
"Alright, I'll have the team start gathering material for this project," Zhang Zhiyuan said. "Wu Hailin, please assemble a writing team. We'll hold a story development session soon."
"No problem," Wu Hailin agreed. "Manpower won't be an issue."
Yang Wendong asked, "How's our illustration team? Do we have enough artists?"
"We do," Wu Hailin replied. "The HR department has been recruiting in Southeast Asia. There are more ethnic Chinese there than in Taiwan and Hong Kong combined.
Our illustration team now has 32 members, and our writing team has 11. That's why the Calabash Brothers animation is moving faster."
Zhang Zhiyuan added, "Southeast Asia wasn't as badly affected by WWII. And with the high population, there's a lot of artistic talent. If needed, we can easily bring in dozens more people."
"Good," Yang Wendong smiled. "If manpower isn't a problem, let's greenlight another comic project. Right now, Changxing Comics relies too much on just one or two titles. That's too risky."
Anyone who had bought manga magazines (outside of single-volume titles) knew they always featured multiple stories.
It was just like music albums or story anthologies.
The idea was to increase buyer interest. If a magazine contained five different series, and a reader liked just one, they might still buy the whole magazine—just for that one.
Editors also mixed genres to appeal to varied tastes.
So far, Changxing Manga Weekly only had short works like Calabash Brothers, and now just Black Cat Detective. That left them unable to reach customers who weren't interested in those series—a significant market loss.
Serialized manga magazines must contain multiple stories to achieve maximum commercial potential.
Zhang Zhiyuan smiled and asked, "Will it be another mythological story?"
"Yes," Yang Wendong nodded. "This will be the third one mentioned by Wu Hailin—Nezha."
"Nezha?" Wu Hailin thought for a moment. "His story about cutting off his flesh and bones to return to his parents is pretty impactful."
Yang Wendong smiled. "Exactly. Like with Erlang Shen, we'll use the ancient story framework as inspiration, but we'll write original content.
Use characters like Chentang Pass, Li Jing, the Dragon King, and so on. Build the story around them."
If he could, Yang Wendong would love to adapt the 1990s version of Journey to the West that had captivated China and Asia.
But the workload was simply too massive. That series had dozens of episodes. Adapting it into manga would take countless chapters—and the cast was enormous.
For now, these myth-based comics should be short-form test projects. Once the team gained more experience, they could tackle something bigger.
"Understood. I'll start outlining the story first," Wu Hailin replied.
"Great. Then let's proceed," Yang Wendong nodded. "Last year, Changxing Culture was newly founded and still did quite well. This year, we'll work even harder—launch more hit series.
The more popular comics we have, the higher the revenue from related merchandise. With more cash flow, we can reinvest into new projects."
"Got it," Zhang Zhiyuan said with a smile. "I'll push harder into Southeast Asian Chinese markets, and we'll gradually test entry into non-Chinese local markets as well."
"That won't be easy," Yang Wendong cautioned. "The best route is still through films and animation. Visual storytelling spreads faster."
Even in 1990s Japan, the most successful global exports were anime—not manga.
That was because reading manga required too much effort. Watching a cartoon was much more engaging.
"I'll expand our animation team," Zhang Zhiyuan said. "We'll start producing animated versions as soon as each manga is ready."
Yang Wendong added, "Yes, but long-term, we can't always rely on external hiring. We'll need two strategies:
First, train our own people—look for talented individuals in Hong Kong, start them off doing simple tasks, then gradually develop them.
Second, consider partnerships with the mainland. For example, the Shanghai Animation Film Studio—we can send them our comics, and they produce the animation."
"Work with the mainland?" Zhang Zhiyuan looked surprised and turned to Wu Hailin. "Is that possible?"
"I'm not sure," Wu Hailin replied honestly.
Yang Wendong chuckled. "Contact Xinhua News Agency. They need foreign exchange just as much as we need manpower. As long as it's not a politically sensitive issue, they won't refuse."
Even though the mainland hadn't yet implemented Reform and Opening Up, it still needed international trade and exchanges. Otherwise, Hong Kong wouldn't be what it is today.
In actual history, by 1965, Shanghai Animation Film Studio had already collaborated with a Japanese anime studio. A partnership with Hong Kong capital wasn't unthinkable.
Besides, it would be a simple OEM arrangement—we provide the story and designs, they produce the animation, and hand over the finished product. We pay in foreign currency. No IP issues involved.
"Got it. I'll reach out to Xinhua right away and see what can be done," Zhang Zhiyuan said.
"Alright, let's proceed. Also, don't just rely on my stories. Feel free to come up with your own ideas. Chinese mythology is a treasure trove," Yang Wendong said.
"Understood, Mr. Yang," Wu Hailin replied.
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