Interview: YAN’s Chang Sheng on Peking opera superheroes

Peking opera performers. Superheroes. Two concepts that most people have never thought to put together but Chang Sheng has and it has come to life in the form of the manga Yan, which stars the eponymous 15-year-old who’s unfairly throw into jail for massacring her family—a crime she did not commit.

One day, Yan Tieh Hua mysteriously vanishes, leaving police officers and detectives scratching their heads. Without any answers nor evidence, they’re forced to declare her dead—until she shows up thirty years later and not looking a day older than fifteen. Determined to find out who the real murderers are, Yan embarks on a journey with two people she never expected to have by her side.

K-Comics Beat had the pleasure of conducting an email interview with Chang Sheng, the creator behind the award-winning tale of Yan, from how he came up with this unique character to his inspiration as an artist.

HILARY LEUNG: You mentioned in the afterword that Yan is inspired by your childhood memories of visiting the Peking opera shows with your grandfather. Can you describe your feeling of watching the shows as a child versus watching them now as an adult? 

CHANG SHENG: Back in the 1970s, before I started elementary school, I didn’t go to kindergarten, so I was home most of the time. My grandfather loved Peking opera, and unlike today, it was still pretty popular back then. It aired on TV every day at 5 p.m. (and from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. was always the cartoon block), and local temples hosted weekly outdoor performances. I remember going with my grandfather on Sundays to watch those shows. Sometimes, while he watched the performance, I’d crawl under the bamboo stage and play with other kids. Looking back now, it was actually quite dangerous. As for the opera itself, I didn’t really understand it at the time.

Years later, Peking opera faded from the public eye, and outdoor performances became rare. What’s fascinating is, in this era where Peking opera is all but gone, some of the images kept popping up in my head: the makeup of the actresses and their performances, which blend elegance and playfulness with striking strength when wielding weapons. To me, that contrast is incredibly beautiful.

That lingering impression was the key inspiration for Yan. I wanted to share that beauty and fascination with readers through my comic.

LEUNG: What was it about a Peking opera performer that you felt would lend itself well to a superhero? 

SHENG: After I became a comic artist, I often thought about turning that impression into a story, but I could never quite figure out how to present it until a few years ago, when I suddenly had a wonderful idea. Many superheroes wear masks to hide their identities, but a Peking opera performer wouldn’t need one because the makeup is enough to disguise them.

That parallel felt like a natural fit with the superhero genre, and the more I thought about it, the more it intrigued me. When I work on a story, I often ask myself whether the idea can be summed up in a single sentence, or if I can express what I want to say to the reader in just one line. For Yan, it was this: When a Peking opera actress becomes a superhero.

LEUNG: Yan is a blend of sci-fi, action, mystery and noir elements. What was it about those elements that captivated you and why?

SHENG: I’ve always loved comics, movies and novels, and naturally my work has been deeply influenced by them. Science fiction, action, mystery and noir are all genres that interest me. Some might say combining them all in one story creates a bit of a mashup, but honestly, I didn’t worry too much about that.

At its core, I just wanted to tell a good story based on one simple idea: when a Peking opera actress becomes a superhero.

Peking opera is a very old art form, and I wanted to see whether this combination of tradition and modernity could spark something new.

LEUNG: Yan Tieh Hua is a 15-year-old Peking opera performer when she goes to jail and reappears thirty years later. Why did you decide to integrate a time skip of 30 years rather than a shorter time skip?

SHENG: It’s actually forty years, though that’s only revealed later in Volume 2. It’s also tied to the mystery surrounding Yan Tieh Hua’s identity. Without revealing too much, I can say that the time jump was a structural choice.

Since Peking opera isn’t exactly in the public spotlight these days, I had to find a way to incorporate it into the story without making it feel forced or out of place. That’s why I decided to stretch the narrative across three decades. It starts in a time when Peking opera was still relevant, then moves into the present day.

As for the other reasons behind the time skip, I hope readers will stick with the story through to volume three, where all the mysteries will be unraveled.

LEUNG: What was your favorite scene to draw?

SHENG: It was when Yan Tieh Hua crashes through the window into the building. The scene was designed as her dramatic entrance, showing off her superhuman abilities for the first time. It also sets up the perfect timing for her to say the line: “This humble one, Yan Tieh Hua.”*

In Chinese, “this humble one” (小女子) is a self-effacing and old-fashioned way for a woman to refer to herself. So having her say it right after smashing through a window, brimming with power, creates a stark and ironic contrast.

*Note: While the original line uses “小女子” (this humble one), the actual one in English version is “My name is…” This is because English lacks a natural equivalent, a literal translation like “this humble one” may sound awkward or overly formal. For smoother reading, we translated it as “My name is Yan Tieh Hua”.

LEUNG: We have a rather unusual trio of characters comprised of an escaped convict, a Go prodigy with the power of precognition and a detective pulled out of retirement. Can you take us through the process of coming up with these characters? Did your initial draft change as you wrote the story, and if it did, how?

SHENG: The idea behind the Go prodigy, Higa Miku, was to create a character with a powerful ability who doesn’t really know how to use it. Among all superpowers, the power of precognition is arguably the strongest. Miku (which means “future” in Chinese characters) has the ability to see five minutes into the future, but aside from that, she has no combat skills at all.

The old policeman was based on the idea of a man who once crossed paths with Yan in his youth, a disillusioned ex-cop who’s been in decline since retirement. Meeting Yan again 30 years later, and possibly revealing the mystery of her identity, might be his shot at redemption.

As for Yan Tieh Hua, the design was inspired by the image of Peking opera actresses that had stayed with me for years. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a blend of elegance, playfulness, and striking strength. Her name also reflects that: “Yan” (閻) means “Hell”, “Tieh” (鐵) means “Iron”, and “Hua” (花) means “Flower”. Together, it means “The Iron Flower from Hell”.

I can’t go too deep into her personality or psychology here without revealing spoilers. But I can say that her odd, emotionally distant behavior is closely tied to the mystery of her identity. I hope readers will stick with the story through to volume three, where all the mysteries will be unraveled.

LEUNG: Who has been your inspiration as an artist?

SHENG: I’ve always loved comics, movies and novels, and many creators in those fields have influenced me. When it comes to comics, there are so many works and creators I admire. I feel lucky that Taiwan’s cultural scene has been open and diverse, which allowed me to grow up reading a wide range of European, American, and Japanese comics. If I had to name one person who really impacted me, and someone I even idolize, it would be the Japanese sci-fi master Yukinobu Hoshino. His early work 2001 Nights inspired me long ago, and it’s the reason I chose a more realistic art style. To this day, it’s still my favorite sci-fi comic of all time.

Released on June 24, Yan is now available to purchase in your local bookstores.