A Bicycle in Beijing

One day, while living in a hutong in Beijing, a boy returns home to find that his dad has purchased a shiny new bike for work. He begs his father to let him ride it. When his father finally agrees, he races around the neighborhood to show off the bike.

Before long, the boy gets careless. He rips his pants, lets his friends pile on like acrobats in the circus, and finally wrecks the bike. Sheepishly, he returns the bike to his dad, who stays up all night fixing it. The experience teaches him the value of the bike and instills a deep respect for his father.

Dawu Yu is an internationally renowned Chinese painter, picture book writer, and member of the Chinese Artists’ Association. His artwork has received many international awards, including ACCU Noma Grand Prize, Japan’s Kodansha Publication Culture Award, and Japan’s Sankei Shimbun Prize for Painting. His artwork has been shown in numerous exhibitions around the world, including Japan, Korea, Britain, and Italy. Recommended by Kodansha, his illustration works were shown in the Bologna Illustrator’s Exhibition, an authoritative international illustration exhibition held in Italy. Some of his works have been collected by Chihiro Art Museum in Japan and have also been included in The Complete Works of Chinese Modern Art.