Zhang Leping

Born in East China's Zhejiang province in 1910, Zhang is remembered for a beloved comic character he created: San Mao. As a pioneer of modern comics in China, Zhang was called the "father" of San Mao.

Zhang initially created San Mao in 1935 as an effort to convey the hardship of the Japanese aggression in China through the eyes of children, especially orphans. 2017 marks the 70th anniversary of the most successful San Mao comic book, The Winter of San Mao, which had a print-run of more than 10 million copies. It also is listed as one of the 100 must-read books by China's Ministry of Education.