Fenghuang Huayuan Cheng Primary School, Nanjing

Uniped

A single foot grows from his lower jaw

and its tail rests upon the ground.

It is usually to lazy to move.

It often turns up its nose at people,

preferring the close companionship of a red-necked bird.

This is the story of Uniped, the Cacaform Bird who is ridiculed for his unusual shape and feels particularly lonely on Earth. Parents may worry that he is much too frightening for their children, but these Grade 1 students are quite the opposite. With a little compassion, Zhu Yingchun shows them that Uniped has his own beauty and that convention is not rule. He encourages the children to sing, dance and write stories to make life better for the lonely Uniped.

Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing

Crossing disciplines - Zhu Yingchun discusses his work on a stage shared with scientists at the SELF Lecture Series organised by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. SELF, short for Science, Education, Life and Future, aims to address a wide variety of issues from multi-disciplinary perspectives.

G-TAKAYA Book Store, Golden Eagle, Nanjing

Zhu Yingchun gives a talk at the G-Takaya book store in Nanjing and invites keen young members of the audience to read out letters written by bugs as well as create sounds to accompany different Cacaform Birds.

Storydrive, Beijing

Storydrive is an all-media platform in Asia dedicated to exploring new forms of collaboration and business models across media boundaries. Zhu Yingchun shares the evolution of his latest book Cacaform Birds at Storydrive 2018, an annual event in Beijing organised by the Frankfurt Book Fair which explores change and development in the content industries.

Follow the link below to read an interview with Zhu Yingchun.

Fenghuang Huayuan Cheng Primary School, Nanjing

Another afternoon at Fenghuang Primary sees Grade 2s visualise the adventures of ants by painting straight onto the walls.

Shuyifang, Nanjing

Students and professionals from 35 countries visit Shuyifang as part of the Second International Youth Forum on Creativity and Heritage Along the Silk Roads to hear Zhu Yingchun talk about his bug related works. The studio log book is filled up with messages and comments, here are a few:

“I love how strange you are and you are so proud about it. We need more people who think and create like you.”

——Unsigned, Philippines

“Thank you for showing us that having a different perspective, being diverse, not part of an acknowledged norm can still be very beautiful and precious. It’s an important message that I hope can be revealed through the language of bugs in all parts of the world.”

——Joana, UK/Romania

Renmin Primary School, Chongqing

Zhu Yingchun makes a trip to Chongqing Renmin Primary school where he explores bug habitats around the campus and composes poetry with students inspired by the Designing Wordsmith.

Lixue Primary School, Nanjing

Lixue Primary students are lucky to live just a stone’s throw from Zhu Yingchun’s studio so they get plenty of visits. This time he gives a masterclass in the art of artistic poetry, after which students put pen to paper and write their own poems. It turns out Lixue Primary has plenty of budding Grade 4 Designing Wordsmiths!

Qilu University of Technology, Jinan

Zhu Yingchun makes a visit to Qilu University of Technology to deliver a lecture to students about book making which had to be extended an hour to accommodate plenty of questions from inquisitive students and teachers! The lecture was followed up by a two-day workshop with students based on Cacaform Birds.

Ying Langya Road Primary School

Four years after it was first published, Next to Bugs still captures the imaginations of Grade 4 students on this visit to Ying Langya Road Primary School in Nanjing.

Beyond Book Story, Wuhan

Zhu Yingchun talks to a crowded audience about Cacaform Birds at Beyond Book Story bookshop in Wuhan.

Fang Suo Commune, Guangzhou

Zhu Yingchun’s latest book Cacaform Birds has attracted much attention around China, here he is introducing the book at Fang Suo Commune in Guangzhou.

Fenghuang Huayuan Cheng Primary School, Nanjing

Zhu Yingchun tells students at Fenghuang Huayuan Cheng Primary School about the origins of Cacaform Birds and together they write stories about these fantastical creatures.