Cartoonist Tsai Chih-chung's unorthodox journey

Tsai Chih-chung, a well-known cartoonist from Taiwan, has published a biography titled Genius and Master: The Cartoon Guru Tsai Chih-chung's Legendary Life. The cartoon, drawn by Tsai, shows him and figures from his popular comic works.

As for his other cultural influences, Tsai, who grew up eating American butter and milk, says he was exposed to Hollywood movies in his childhood.

A confession that Tsai makes is that he was a habitual latecomer and often missed the start of the films. "So, when I entered the theater, I would imagine the bit of movie that I had missed."

Tsai says this habit helped him to hone his imagination. He also attributed his habit of reading the Bible to helping him understand the blending imagination, myths and history in his future work.

"The church was my window to the West. But, what flows in my veins is Chinese culture," he says. "It's a perfect combination."

Tsai, who was based in Vancouver, Canada, at one point now spends a lot of time on the mainland, where he runs an animation studio in Hangzhou, the capital of East China's Zhejiang province.

Among the feature-length animation films he is working on is a biographical film on Guan Yu, a third-century general and a synonym for loyalty and valor in Chinese culture. The movie is expected to be completed by October.

Another project is Kung Fu Shaolin Temple, which is expected to be ready for release in 2017.

"Zen, kung fu and the Shaolin Temple are evergreen Chinese cultural symbols," he says.

"They will always be popular themes for viewers not only in China but overseas," he adds.