Cartoon cat conquers the book world

Bazhahei is somewhat jealous of Wu Huang's position but isn't clever enough to overthrow "his majesty".

Liang deliberately adds typical Chinese elements. He renders the characters' images by borrowing techniques from traditional painting.

The book's characters look realistic. That includes the new characters in the third book－Ren Zhong (philtrum), a kitten with a long philtrum, and Chi Zhong (middle wing joint), a tiny bird that wears an ancient Chinese-style hat similar to that worn by Jia Baoyu, the protagonist in the classical Chinese novel The Dream of the Red Chamber.

Some people call the style chinoiserie.

But Liang disagrees.

The 32-year-old learned while studying graphic design at the Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts that adding traditional elements like signets, Peking Opera costumes and certain color schemes can imbue images with a Chinese feel.

Liang vividly depicts the animals but vaguely renders human characters.

The facial features of the pets' owner, for instance, are essentially an L for a nose above a short horizontal line for a mouth.

"I try to get readers to focus on the animals," he says.

"They're the core characters."

The style generally is a blend of picture books and comics, which is ideal for narrating short stories.

"I know not many Chinese read Japanese comics," Liang says. "I hope to attract an extensive readership of all ages using this combination of styles."

Cartoonist Han Dan, whose work Jiemao Suo ("De-catification" Center) about overcoming addiction to cats went viral online, says Wu Huang represents all the qualities readers believe an ideal cat should possess－h(huán)e's fat, cute and mean.

"It's like a mascot," Han says.