description Shenzhen Overview
Shenzhen is a 2000 graphic travelogue by Canadian cartoonist Guy Delisle, based on his time in Shenzhen, China, while accompanying his then-wife during an animation project. The book uses observational humor and everyday scenes to examine language barriers, cultural difference, urban development, and the experience of a foreign visitor living in a rapidly changing industrial city. It is intended for readers interested in travel writing, comics memoir, and contemporary China.
help Shenzhen FAQ
Is Shenzhen a travel guide or a graphic memoir?
Shenzhen is a graphic travelogue and memoir by Canadian cartoonist Guy Delisle, not a practical guidebook. It records his roughly three-month stay in Shenzhen while working on an animation project.
What animation work was Guy Delisle doing in Shenzhen?
Delisle was sent to supervise outsourced animation production and act as a link between a French animation company and a Chinese studio. The book observes the work process as well as his boredom, hotel life, and culture shock.
How does the book portray language barriers?
Delisle describes relying on interpreters, drawings, pointing, and simple visual explanations when words fail. Those everyday communication problems become a recurring source of humor and frustration.
When was Shenzhen published, and when did the English edition appear?
The original French edition was published by L'Association in April 2000, while the English edition appeared in 2006. The book is part of Delisle's travel-writing work alongside Pyongyang and Burma Chronicles. [L'Association](https://www.lassociation.fr/en/catalogue/shenzhen/)
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