Last night in Beijing – Review

The most beautiful stories gravitate around food, the stories that have left their mark on us. Flavors and smells blend together in our memories to enrich the meaning of our experiences. This is the story of Last night in Beijingthe story of He Liu and his girlfriend, walking around the streets of the Chinese capital, chatting and eating, they talk about their childhood following the smells and flavors that remind them of specific moments in their lives. Food is a vehicle for memories, they recall old friendships, loves that have never been reciprocated and small traumas that made them adults.

Golo Zhao is a prolific author of Chinese origins, one of the most influential authors of global comics of the Asian generation. He collaborated with French authors of the caliber of Jean-Marie Omont for the series Yaya. He is an author who makes nostalgia his cornerstone, skilled and excellent in emotional narration, gifted with a disarming narrative simplicity. Looking at his works means being gently cradled by the narrative and being touched by pure and simple feelings.

The story

He Liu he is now an adult boy. He walks with the girl through the streets of Beijing while they enjoy themselves their last night in the capital. In fact, the next day, they will return to live in the town where they grew up. As they retrace their favorite restaurants nibbling food here and there, He Liu you let yourself go to the smells and flavors, recalling the most intense memories linked to food.

He remembers an old friend who went down a bad path when they were in high school, a love that was never reciprocated, a bizarre classmate who managed to make everyone agree with his charisma and a chicken leg that reminds him of a dear childhood friend of his.

He Liu and his girlfriend exchange stories, tragic moments, happy moments, memories that now belong to the past. In this way they trace a long thread that traces their history and everything comes together in the present to prepare for a future that is there waiting for them and, above all, is there to surprise them.

The themes

At the center of the narrative time and growth play a fundamental role. In fact, He Liu cannot help but see himself in the mirror without remembering where he came from and above all what awaits him in the near future. He Liu’s memories are intense, his traumas, however negative, they carry a weight that has made him stronger, more confident.

The second fundamental theme is certainly that of appearances, especially of social appearances. At least two of the four stories he narrates are consistent on the ambiguity of judgment and they revolve around characters who, showing little of themselves, end up being judged bitterly by the society in which they live, greedy for gossip. However, human relationships can reveal something that these people hide deep in their hearts, often a treasure that makes them special, a glimmer of light that makes them unique. If there is one thing He Liu has learned from these experiences it is definitely the fact of do not judge by appearances, to trust relationships and cultivate them to get to know the people who cross our lives in depth.

Finally the food, if there is in fact a point in common that unites our culture with Asian ones, it is certainly the relationship they have with food and conviviality. Food can create bonds, because it is a strong vehicle of sensations, food intensifies memories and links them inextricably to the people, objects and situations in our memories. Here food is the vehicle with which memories come to the surface, always leaving a sweet and pleasant note, even in the most difficult situations.

Zhao’s graphic style

Golo Zhao has a light, round and sweet line that delicately shows the emotions of the characters, through many captivating close-ups and silences that leave room for reflection. The backgrounds and landscapes have a lot of stretch impressionistic, often blurry when the main subject of the cartoon is one of the characters but they create very placid and silent atmospheres. The backgrounds in the more introspective moments are also very beautiful, through contrasting color solutions it makes these cartoons very evocative. The only flaw little variety in the physiognomy of the faces which sometimes risks confusing.

Coloring is definitely its strong point, le Pastel shades often used in contrast with each other make the situations depicted very readable. The nuanced and never too bright colors create a placid and decidedly relaxing atmosphere. Reading benefits a lot when it comes to chromatic aesthetics.

Another strong point is certainly that of coloring the balloons of the characters in the dialogues differently depending on the interlocutor, this method also allows you to immediately understand who is speaking, especially when the subjects are outside the frame of the cartoons.

In the end the food is always represented with great care, the ingredients in the dishes shown are perfectly recognisable. Even in the representation of food, the design maintains a very synthetic trait, but the essential features of each dish come to life, making each shape perfectly recognisable. This testifies the wonderful relationship the author has with food in generalthe attention he places on the culinary dimension makes it the hidden protagonist of the entire work.

The BAO edition

The volume of BAO Publishing it is pleasant to the touch, rigid, thick and satin paper and a 17 x 23 format which allows you to appreciate the plates drawn by the author very well. The layout maintains fairly thick borders which, varying in color from black to white, immediately allow the scene to be identified in the past or present. The time jumps dictated by the plot are therefore very recognisable. The only flaw is the choice of font, readable but not aesthetically suited to the graphic sector of the comic. Still excellent though the notes section which resolves many doubts about very narrow terms or cultural references.

Ultimately it is still an excellent edition, especially for the quality material that was used which makes the price of the book justifiable. Once again then congratulations to the publishing house for the care and for the choice to have such a story in the catalogue.

To whom would we recommend Last Night in Beijing?

Golo Zhao he is a very skilled narrator of everyday life. We recommend it to those who love slices of life, to those who want to savor the melancholy of memories and to those who usually bask in memories to remember the road that has been travelled. Finally, to those who love oriental food and want a journey made of sensations, flavors and tastes that crown the stories of our characters.