In a small town named the Run Run Town, everybody likes to run fast. They run and run, and "Wham!"—it is unavoidable that they will knock into each other.
So begins The Run Run Town, a Chinese picture book written by Yadong and drawn by Maike. What happens after every crash is a playful rendition of the idea of "combination" (joining things together), which, as the author points out, is important in everything from the beginning of life to written language, human imagination, science discoveries, and inventions.
Some of the "combinations" in the picture books are really fun. A lady knocks into a dolphin. Guess what we get? A mermaid! In the Run Run Town, even mountains are restless and don't like to stay still. When a fire-breathing dragon knocks into a walking mountain, a volcano is born.
Some of the "combinations" come from Chinese language and culture. Why would the crash of a cat and an eagle produce an owl? Because in the Chinese language, "owl" is "mao tou ying" or "cat-headed eagle." Steamed bread and meat balls knock into each other, and delicious steamed buns are ready to be served.
Other "combinations" are based on science. A spot of blue and a spot of yellow rush to each other and create a spot of green, reminding us of Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni. A young man and a young woman run towards each other, and, on the last page of the book, a happy nuclear family of three is born.
What would you imagine if you are asked to add a picture or two to the book? When I tried to answer the question myself, I found it difficult to come up with impressive invention ideas. So instead I will share a creature I have found elsewhere.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas, a Chinese classic book that first appeared as early as the fourth century BC, describes imaginary beings, gods, and deities. There is a Chinese version of a "mermaid" "in The Classic of Mountains and Seas: people in a country called "Diren" are described as having human faces, the bodies of fish, and no feet.
Next time when you see those magical beings in The Run Run Town, you will be able to understand how they come to be.
