Hong Kong political cartoonist Zunzi spoke about his ongoing research into the history of Hong Kong cartoons during “Ikoku no Natsuyasumi” (A Summer Vacation in a Foreign Land), a cultural program being held in Tokyo.

Zunzi, whose real name is Wong Kei-kwan, joined fellow cartoonist E-Mu for a talk looking back at different periods in Hong Kong cartooning. Starting with the 1940s, they introduced four important figures — Lee Fan-fu, Chan Chi-dor, Wong Sze-ma and Sung Sam-lung — and discussed what distinguished their work.

After drawing political cartoons for nearly four decades, Zunzi saw his two cartoon columns in Ming Pao come to an end in May 2023. The decision followed a period in which his work had repeatedly drawn criticism from Hong Kong government officials. The newspaper did not give a detailed reason for ending the columns, while Zunzi later pointed to the political climate at the time. With his regular newspaper work over, he was able to devote more time to a project he had been thinking about for years: researching the history of Hong Kong cartoons.

The cartoons Zunzi is studying tell more than the stories of the artists who drew them. He believes they also show how Hong Kong’s media and society changed over time. Through the project, he wants to tell Hong Kong’s story from a Hong Kong perspective.

Most of the research is being done in libraries and archives. Material from some periods is harder to find, and for cartoons from the years of the Japanese occupation, the researchers have also had to look elsewhere, including photographs from films.

Finding the cartoons is only part of the work. Zunzi says one of the main difficulties is explaining the social changes surrounding them. A single cartoon can contain a great deal of information about its time, while political circumstances could change very quickly. The team therefore has to examine each work together with the information needed to understand when and why it was drawn. Zunzi estimates that it may take another one or two years to complete the first stage of the research.

How the work will eventually be published has not yet been decided. Zunzi links some of that uncertainty directly to the publishing environment in Hong Kong. He says that if the research were to be published there, many parts might have to be removed, and that is not something they want to do at this stage. What matters to him is having a complete record of Hong Kong cartoon history.

That concern has not led Zunzi to leave Hong Kong. He notes that E-Mu is now in Taiwan and Wong Chiu-tat in the United Kingdom, while he has chosen to remain in Hong Kong and continue watching what happens around him. For Zunzi, creating a cartoon, a novel or any other work about Hong Kong requires being there, observing and experiencing everyday life rather than shutting oneself away from it.

He also acknowledges that there are things that cannot now be casually said or drawn. Cartoonists are not alone in this, he says. Some columnists have also chosen to remain quiet and observe, while others continue writing privately, keeping their work for a possible opportunity in the future.

Drawing requires skill, but he believes an even greater part lies in how a cartoonist observes something and the way they look at it. Continuing to broaden that perspective, he says, can make it easier to understand what is happening around you.

Zunzi had also taken his research abroad earlier this year. In June, he gave a talk on Hong Kong cartoons at York University in Canada. Speaking about these exchanges, he said that action was more important than words, and that seeing friends continuing their own work gave them a sense of mutual support.

The Tokyo talk was part of “Ikoku no Natsuyasumi”, organized by Mount Zero Books at HOME/WORK VILLAGE. Running from July 10 to September 5, 2026, the program brings together illustrated maps, books, artworks, workshops and talks connected with Hong Kong and its culture.