Legend of the Phoenixis a children's picture book adapted from Chinese folklore, which won the gold medal of the second Key Colours Picture Book Competition in 2019 and received praise from seven publishers, picture book authors, and picture book experts from home and abroad.

The story depicts a dream experienced by a little boy, Tuanzi, when he is alone at home. In the dream, he travels through time and space to admire the magnificence of ancient Chinese architecture and the prosperity of street life. He learns from the egret that the Phoenix was rewarded by the birds because of its diligence, kindness, and willingness to share, and transformed itself from an ordinary bird into a divine one.

The content of the picture book is suitable for children aged 3-6. The characters in the picture are exquisitely depicted, and the detailed and modern interpretation of the pictures combines many traditional Chinese artistic creation techniques to present a visual feast to the readers.

About the author

Team Creator and Planner:

Yang Fan studied at the School of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University, Shandong University, and Ecole Superieure des Arts d 'Design in France, obtaining bachelor's and master's degrees in fine arts. She also studied Chinese civilization and Creative Design at Peking University. She has a keen interest in traditional Chinese culture and hopes to convey Chinese beauty to children through picture books.

Team Members:

Zang Xu, male, a post-90s designer, graduated from Shandong University with a master's degree. Loves life and design. Observe the world with your eyes, melt the pen tip with your imagination, and make your own efforts for the visualization of Chinese culture.

Guo Yihong, female, a post-90s pattern designer, graduated from Beijing University of Technology and Shandong University.

Su Wenhao, male, graduated from Shandong University majoring in industrial design. He likes to draw with marker pens. He has a wide range of hobbies and is full of enthusiasm for interesting things.

Ran Debo, male, graduated from Shandong University and was admitted to the School of Journalism and Communication of Shandong University as a design major in 2018. He loves traditional Chinese culture.

Wonderful Book Review

As a publisher of children's books in Europe, I was not familiar with China's ancient culture and patterns but was eager to learn about them. "Song of the Phoenix" is full of details and rich and impactful colors, which is impressive. So that even those who do not know this ancient legend can enjoy its wonderful pictures.

Philippe Vallick, president of Clavis Publishing

This is a beautiful picture book, the pictures are international, and Chinese and foreign readers will like it. Among them, a lot of Chinese elements are applied, and the color is very harmonious, and it is both elegant and popular.

-- Zhu Chengliang, famous picture book author

"Song of the Phoenix" is a book that opens with a stunning picture. Although it is a good blend of traditional Chinese art elements, it can also make foreign readers feel very interesting. The story is told layer by layer, and the most powerful part is the ancient legend of the phoenix at the core.

-- Jia, a well-known reading promoter and picture book researcher

The picture of "Hundred Birds Pilgrimages to Phoenix" is a collection of Han Chinese portrait bricks, Dunhuang murals, landscape paintings, boundary paintings, embroidery, pastels, and other traditional Chinese art elements, which are integrated and wonderful.

-- Multiple book Award judge, arts promoter, picture book author Ji Zhaohua

Preface/Preface

"Hundred-bird Pilgrimage to Phoenix" Writing Notes

Team creator Yang Fan

When my son was over one year old, I had an idea to create a picture book rich in Chinese beauty for him, so that he could feel the charm of traditional Chinese culture from childhood. I graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University as an undergraduate. Influenced by traditional Chinese arts and crafts, I have a strong love for traditional Chinese patterns, which I think have high aesthetic value. Therefore, the art elements I use in my creation are more like a great fusion of traditional Chinese patterns, and I try to show rich and colorful cultural symbols in a unified painting style. Through this picture book, I hope to integrate Chinese elements into children's art education and improve their aesthetic appreciation. The reason why I choose to adapt the Chinese folk legend "Birds worship the Phoenix" is that I hope my son can understand the beauty of traditional Chinese virtues such as diligence, kindness, helping others, and gratitude from the classic story that has been passed down for a long time.

The creation and optimization of Hundred Birds Singing the Phoenix took two years, which was jointly completed by me and my classmates during the master period, Zang Xu, Su Wenhao, Guo Yihong, and Ran Debo.I so much hope that "Birds of Phoenix" can be loved by more children around the world, and I hope that I can create more and better works in the future.