The Sea Turtles

The millions of Chinese citizens who study in the west and then return to China are called "Hai Gui" or "Sea Turtles." In a recent column, New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof wrote of the Hai Gui, "The biggest force for democratization isn’t the Group of 7 governments, but is the millions of Chinese who study in the West and return — sometimes with green cards or blue passports, but always with greater expectations of freedom." I wanted to include a Hai Gui in my little tableau of life inside China. I think of these insects, flowers and birds as a depiction of the wild and unregulated communist-style capitalism that is developing in China.

Here's how this area of the print developed:


I added a few more spot colors first


Carved out the linework on the same block


And printed the linework in a dark brown