My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder

by Nie Jun

A 2019 Batchelder Honor Book

Yu'er and her grandpa live in a small neighborhood in Beijing―and it's full of big personalities. There's a story around every corner, and each day has a hint of magic.

In one tale, Yu'er wants to swim in the Special Olympics, a sports competition for people with disabilities. But she and her grandpa don't have a pool! Their trick to help Yu'er practice wows the whole neighborhood. In another story, a friend takes Yu'er to a wild place full of musical insects. Later, Yu'er hears a special story about her grandparents. And in the final story, Yu'er and her grandpa show a cranky painter the sweet side of life.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, China, Middle Grade, Fiction, Magical Realism, Short Stories

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 17, 2016

About the author

Born in 1975 in Xining, in the province of Qinghai, China. He began drawing an early age by copying lianhuanhua (tradictional Chinese palm-sized picture books of sequential art). He soon became fan of Osamu Tezuka, Zhan Leping, and black-and-white pirated editions of TinTin. As a teenager , he won a constest sponsored by comics magazine and had his drawings published for the first time. Later, he was deeply influenced by the range of works within the Chinese comics scene, as well as by Japanese artists Akira Toriyama and Katsuhiro Otomo, not to mention Moebius (the french cartoonist Jean Giraud). In 1995 he began to publish his arts in magazines. He lives in Beijing and teaches drawing to university students.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Beijing is a collection of charming short stories by Nie Jun that are among the few Chinese comics—lianhuanhua, or Chinese sequential art--I have read. They seem sort of retro in that they are obviously highly influenced by western comics/illustration n style and content. The picture book size of the book makes it look like they are trying to appeal to children, but it’s really a set of comics short stories for all ages.

The focus of the stories is a girl, Yu’er (Yu=fish; er=child), and her Grandpa. The space Yu’er and Grandpa explore here is the Chinese streets, bustling with activity, and specifically the space is of hutongs, or narrow streets formed by “courtyard houses” where the yards are beyond the living spaces (i.e., courtyards, right!). Yu-er is disabled, uses a crutch and is often biked around or pushed in a cart, and the first story is of a dream she has of winning the Special Olympics that surprised me in bursting into fantasy, as she begins to fly. Sweet! A second, “Bug Paradise,” focuses on. . . bugs. Another, “The Letter,” is about Yu’er wanting to write a letter to her dead Grrndmother, which Grandpa is more than willing to help with.

If you have plans to travel and want to know what Beijing is really like, I think you should look elsewhere for information, as these stories are as the title says about “Jun’s” Beijing, the one of his family and emotional experiences, one of sweet Grandpa and grand-daughter relations, innocent, with stories of universal themes that pretty much could be set anywhere (though you do see what the hutongs are like and there is a bit of local color). It’s a volume that feels like it is reaching out to bridge the largely unknown (to the West) East with the West, in content and style, feeling almost Golden Age nostalgic.

[Sarah Metts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this reminded me of Miyazaki films where there is magic that seems like it might be real or the imagination of the children in the story. There are moments of magic in this volume that are endearing and heart warming. The illustrations are done in water color and provide a softness that matches the tone of the story.

I want to see these characters again. I think this could be a successful easy readers series too for libraries. It reminds me of Mr. Putter and Tabby with enjoyable characters that you get to know in an episodic fashion.

Wonderful addition to a children's library collection and endless possibilities for programming opportunities including a multicultural event or art class with watercolors.

[Arghavan-紫荆 · Rating 4 out of 5]

نقاشی های کتاب انقدر دوست‌داشتنی و زیبا و حال‌خوب‌کن بودن که داستان و ترجمه با اینکه ایرادهایی هم داشتن ولی بیاید نادیده بگیریم!
بافت قدیمی شهر پکن، یسری خونه‌های حیاط دار با معماری قدیمی داره که با کوچه‌های باریک به هم وصل میشن، به اینجور محله‌هایی میگن "خو تونگ" که توی کتاب هو‌تانگ ترجمه شده بود، کتاب شامل ۴ تا داستانه که شخصیت اصلی همشون دختری به اسم "یو آر" -یعنی ماهی کوچولو- و پدربزرگش هستن که توی خوتونگ زندگی میکنن، فضای داستان‌ و نقاشی‌ها خیلی صمیمانه و گرم و روشن و لطیفه و بنظرم بهترین کتاب گرافیکیه که میشه توی یه بعد از ظهر بهاری ورق زد و کاملا توی فضاش غرق شد :)
•نمونه‌ای از زیبایی‌هاش:

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, this charmed me. The text is indeed small, but you'll want your magnifying glass anyway to see the details in the pictures (I did have to flip a few times to see if a certain character was new or not). It is magical, and it does have a 'non-North American' flavor. And I really don't have more words for it... read Beverly's comment instead. I do definitely recommend it.

[Rachel Aranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5-5 stars

This is such a beautifully illustrated book that go along with such charming stories. Grampa was definitely my favorite character. He’s so sweet and funny! Just want to give him the biggest hug for taking such great care of his Yu’er and their friends. The print is tiny to read so I recommend having a magnifying glass to help. Definitely want to buy my own copy in the future.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little thrown by the fantasy/magical element in the first story as a goofy grandfather helps his granddaughter train for the Special Olympics. I thought this was just a collection of slice-of-life short stories set in China, but the mix of the everyday and the fantastic weaves throughout as we follow the two through a variety of gentle adventures in their timeless little neighborhood.

Pretty mild overall, but still enjoyable and quite sweet.

[Shaghayegh.l3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

یکی از خاص‌ترین کتاب‌های کودکی که خوندم با نقاشی‌های فوق‌العاده.

[nobody · Rating 4 out of 5]

من همیشه هوتانگ‌ها رو دوست داشتم. (کوچه‌پس‌کوچه‌هایی که پر از خونه‌های حیاط‌ دارن. و کاملا جدا از ساختمون‌های بزرگ چین هستن.) و این‌که کتاب درباره‌ی دختری بود که توی هوتانگ زندگی می‌کنه وسوسه‌م کرد که بخونمش.
داستان دومش خیلی شبیه داستان "وقتی مارنی آن‌جا بود" بود. ولی در کل داستان‌های قشنگی داشت. اگه یه روز بخوام به بچه‌ای کتاب هدیه بدم؛ قطعا اینو هدیه می‌دم.
(این‌که دیالوگ‌ها کتابی نوشته شده بود؛ یکم از حس خوبش می‌گرفت. ولی خب...)

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a wholesome, amusing, morning read!

It tells about four stories full of imagination of a pair of grandfather-granddaughter. It revolves around family-love, friends-love, and even community-love.

With great art and coloring, funny, child-like narration, also light and magical theme, this book will never let anybody down.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, sun-drenched drawings illustrate four, sweet short stories about Yu’er and her retired postman uncle, and their relationships with their neighbours in their hutong.

[Niyousha · Rating 4 out of 5]

خیال انگیز!

[Suhasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mighty heartwarming story with absolutely marvelous illustrations. They remind you of a simpler time.
4 interconnected stories with 2 of them connecting the present with the past. Each of them touch your heart and make you happy.

[Karen Witzler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming graphic for children featuring a disabled child and her loving grandfather in a neighborhood in Beijing. Batchelder Award Nominee for translated children's book 2019.

[ikram · Rating 4 out of 5]

OKAY??? THIS WAS SO CUTE??? my favorite is The Letter because it reminds me of my own grandparents aaaa

[_.eameli · Rating 4 out of 5]

خیلی وقت بود که دنبال یه کمیک کیوت و بامزه بودم
اما هر سری یا متنش جذب نمی کرد یا طراحیش.
و بله بلاخره پیداش کردم اسمش کوچه های شهر شگفتی یه کمیک چینی کیوت خوش رنگه که داخل این کمیک چهار تا داستان کوتاه ست.
درمورد یه پیرمرد و نوه اش است که عاشق شنا کردنه اما نمیتونه راه بره ولی با اینکه معلوله ارده قوی در قهرمان شدن دارد و دوست داره یک قهرمان خیلی بزرگی بشه.
این تازه یک تیکه از این چهار داستانه
کنسرت حشرات،صندوق پستی،نامه،همسایه برعنق....اگه همچین داستان هایی دوست دارید این کتاب اصلا از دست ندید.

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories set in a Chinese hutong (a type of neighbourhood) featuring a grandpa and his granddaughter. Told with nice water coloured drawings. Nie Jun cites Akira Toriyama, Otomo, and Moebius as influences, but I don’t really see that on these pages.

The stories are simple and heartfelt. I especially liked the one where Yu’er writes a letter to her Grandmother, and the letter travels through time and is actually the letter her Grandpa said enabled the two to meet.

[Ankita Goswami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated collection of four cute short stories from Beijing, featuring the same two main characters - Yu'er and her grandfather. There is a lot of heart and magic in each of these stories. It's a complete feel-good read.

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute stories about a little girl and her grandfather. There's nothing particularly special or memorable here, though the artwork is delightful.

[Loz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it! Cute stories of wonder and hope. Beautiful art with warming colors. Fun and soothing!

[yun with books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a wholesome stories. I like the 2nd and the 3rd ones the most!

[Imran Mahmud · Rating 5 out of 5]

আহাহা...কি সব ইলাস্ট্রেশন!
শুধু তাকিয়ে থেকেই দিন পার করে দেয়া যায়।

[Elizabeth A · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as part of the #invisiblecities2021 project. The goal is to read translated works from three countries each month.

Invisible Cities Project | February 2021 | Selection for China (#1)
Translated from the Chinese by Qingyuan Zhao and Nicolas Grivel, and from the French by Edward Gauvin.

This middle grade comic contains four stories about a young disable girl and her grandfather. It's cute with wonderful watercolor illustrations.

My video review: https://youtu.be/7u8N7gI3Inw

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you told me this was from Studio Ghibli, I would absolutely believe you.

Mixing the contemporary with magical realism, this cute little watercolour collection combines all the detailed art, sympathetic, wise, child-like characters (both children and adults), whimsy, and a sense of wonder among the mundane that I have come to expect from everything Miyazaki-related. However, the author/illustrator is Chinese and writing largely about his own experiences within a crumbling, close-knit hutong community.

In particular, the book follows the daily life of Yu'er - who can't walk, but is carted around by her grandpa - as she searches for fun and a way to compete in the Special Olympics. She's not allowed to join the local pool, but her grandpa cooks up a way for her to swim through air, send letters to grandma, and have plenty of other adventures.



There's also an interesting interview with the author about the origins of Yu'er here.

[naz · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely story!

I was finding it hard to fall asleep and found this available on Libby. So glad I decided to read this on a whim it was a great short read :)

The art style radiates warmth and comfort making you feel like you stepped into a ghibli film. The use of water colours creates a soft tone that works so well with the wholesome story revolving around the life of a grandpa and his granddaughter. The 4 short stories were imaginative and infused with magic, making it all the more wholesome.

[محمود راضي · Rating 4 out of 5]

طوبى لمن لم يفقدوا روح الدهشة أمام أبسط اﻷشياء، وينجحون في كل مرة في استنطاق حكاياتها المكنونة، واستخراج باطنها الخفي.

[Muslihah · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a charming collection of stories about a girl who is differently abled, and the adventures she has with her grandfather. This graphic novel doesn’t shy away from serious topics like poverty, ableism and bullying yet remains sweet and uplifting.

[Haylee Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every single one of these magical, inclusive, cute stories!! The third one was my favorite

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so enchanting and delightful

[Leila Rumeila]

Such a heartwarming story with magical realism touch. Also the illustrations are all so lovely. Loved this book!

[Granit Hysiqi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will always associate water color-style cartooning with animated European toilet paper commercials from the mid 2000's. Forever.