AT the age of 91, famous mini comics illustrator He Youzhi has made a mini comeback with an exhibition of recent miniature works about childhood and a donation to the Shanghai Art Museum.

A metro carriage, which displays his works, has been named after him and a limited, autographed edition of his collected "Childhood Games" is coming out.

He, a self-taught artist and once a soldier and jack-of-all trades, was known for illustrating lianhuanhua, literally "linked pictures" in printed books about 3 inches by 5 inches. He still draws and colors his miniature pictures.

After years of living quietly and shunning interviews, He resurfaced recently for an exhibition and interview. He still speaks with the sharp tongue that earned him the name "old naughty boy" in art circles, though he says he has mellowed over time. Though he came from a poor background, his blunt, irreverent speech got him in trouble during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) when he was branded a rightist.

Today he still works in a nine-square-meter downtown studio, avoids publicity, art circles and people who bore him. He doesn't sell his work to strangers who might buy them for investment instead of appreciation. He seldom grants interviews and criticizes the rare interviewer who doesn't understand his art.

Drinking alcohol with every meal has helped him live a long life, he maintains, along with the support of his wife, who is still with him.

"I just don't want to waste my time lingering with people that I don't like," he tells Shanghai Daily at the recent exhibition.

Though his subjects ranged widely over the years, from propaganda and folk culture to legends and Chinese opera, today he mostly draws scenes from his childhood in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province.

The term lianhuanhua was coined in Shanghai in the 1920s to describe a form of illustrated story, like comic books, that had been developing in urban China since the introduction of western printing technology in the late 19th century. With one picture to a page and simple captions, they were easy to understand, even by poorly educated readers. Some were quite artistic. They ranged from Chinese legends and classics to modern stories, spooky, superstitious tales and pornography.

After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, Communist Party art authorities initially looked with disgust at the immensely popular genre of lianhuanhua and saw the mini comics as an ideological problem. Some of the authorities came from working class Shanghai families that read lianhuanhua, however, and they also realized the huge potential for propaganda and educating large numbers of poorly schooled people. They cleared out the smut and superstition and elevated the content.

Lianhuanhua evolved, attracted good illustrators and featured interesting stories that were approved by both parents and teachers. Entertainment was limited and pocket comics were popular.

Today they are highly collectible.

Unlike many of his peers, He Youzhi, did not have a background in art, but taught himself. He lost his mother when he was just five years old, left school after primary grades, and later worked as a servant, soldier, assistant and did assorted jobs.

He started to draw at the age of 30 in 1952. From that time until 1980 he created more than 30 comic books. His best-known stories are "Chao Yang Gou," "Li Shuangshuang" and "Hua Tuo." Subjects ranged from a heroic peasant woman who became a leader to a famous ancient doctor. Some works were drawn in traditional Chinese painting style and "Shan Xiang Ju Bian" ("Dramatic Change in the Countryside") won the first prize in the national comics contest in the 1960s.

He is a close observer of "the interesting details hidden in daily life."

In his eyes, the challenge of lianhuanhua is telling a coherent, flowing, meaningful story, each page conveying a clear idea with its people, its setting and its simple captions.

He doesn't socialize much, saying many gatherings are boring, and he is contemptuous of many contemporary celebrities.

"I am neither rich nor poor," he said. "Unlike celebrities who charter a plane, my savings account is enough. Of course, I was treated unfairly in the past, but now I am 91 years old. I have become even tempered.

"Sometimes you need to be blind, otherwise it's hard to deal with a long life."

Q: A lot of people talk about happiness today. Are you happy?

A: Of course. If I am not happy, who could be? My greatest happiness is being able to draw at the age of 91.

Q: Your latest work depicts childhood scenes. Do you miss your childhood?

A: I left home when I was 17 and some memories never fade, but it's been almost 70 years since I left. I can't recall the name of my playmates. The changes in my hometown are dramatic. I still have an old house where I sometimes stay for a while.

Q: At your recent show, you wrote "Come see the kung fu of a 91-year-old man." What do you most want to do?

A: I don't have too many dreams now due to my lack of energy. But every morning, I still spend two hours in my studio, reading newspaper and drawing.

Q: Is there any future for lianhuanhua?

A: It's finished. In the early 1980s, many famous artists such as Chen Yifei and Chen Danqing no longer painted lianhuanhua because there was no money in it ... I once suggested establishing a lianhuanhua museum in Shanghai, the birthplace of lianhuanhua, but even today there's no response. Most veteran painters have passed away and it's impossible to collect their works.

Q: In a picture collection of scenes from your life, you paint the scene when you returned home after the "cultural revolution" and have dinner and a cup of rice wine with your wife and three small daughters. Did your family support you during that period of turmoil?

A: I am a very fragile person. Today when I look at this painting, I shed tears. At that time, our family was poor and there were not many dishes on the table. But the look from my children and wife warmed my heart. I am a fragile one, and that's why I don't dare watch the movie "Back to 1942" about the famine.

Q: You have been married a long time. Do you have advice for young couples?

A: It's better to have some misery in life, it can be nurturing. Through sorrows you gain a deep understanding of life. Only by being poor can you love and sympathize with the difficulties of others. Today young people don't have a tough environment. At one time, I didn't have a decent job or a place to live, but my wife didn't care about that.

Q: You have a lot of fans who say there's no place to buy your work.

A: People always ask me how much are my paintings per chi (Chinese foot, 1 chi equals 33.33 centimeters). I'm not a fabrics salesman. Sometimes I sell paintings to my best friends. A local publishing house is putting out a limited edition of my "Childhood Games." I will autograph each book.

Q: What do think about manga?

A: I don't dare look at them. Why? Because all the faces are pale white with a pair of big, blue, staring eyes. Do our children really look that scary?

Q: What's your wish for the new year?

A: Age slowly and pass away quickly.