Paul Gravett curates a free exhibition that will reveal the heart and soul of 21st century China through the art and stories in contemporary Chinese comic books.

The two simplified Chinese characters for 'Manhua' are the same as those used in Japan for 'Manga' and mean essentially 'humorous' (Man) 'drawings' (Hua).  Today the comics medium has proved to be a powerful vehicle of imagination, communication and expression, driven by vibrant visual sequences. The language of 'Manhua', modern Chinese comics, can bridge cultures and make the history, legends, fantasies and everyday lives of Chinese people today accessible to the widest public.

This free exhibition presents for the first time ever in the UK the highest quality, diversity and individuality of recent and current Chinese comics from the last twenty-five years, principally from mainland China but also from Hong Kong and Taiwan. To provide some context, the exhibition will outline Manhua's roots in China's picture story history and in particula the illustrated traditions since the 1920s of 'Lianhuanhua', or 'linked pictures', usually palm-size booklets of classical tales and ideological messages.

Modern Manhua creators may look back, but they also represent a startling leap forward, often strongly influenced by manga from Japan and comics from the West, and yet still creating works unique in their own right. The main focus of the exhibition are these next generations revolutionising comics, from China's pioneers and Hong Kong's martial arts masters to the latest waves of talents, who are becoming recognised as world-class creators, translated and commissioned in Britain, America, France and elsewhere. Manhua are poised to become the next global cross-media phenomenon, spinning off into films, television, animation, games, toys and more.

Some 200 pieces of artwork and printed matter will be put on show, from famous mass-market hits to smaller alternative series, from the mainstream to the underground. It will show both original hand-drawn artworks on paper and digital prints of work created on computer, put into frames on the walls and into glass-topped vitrine tables. Visitors will be able to watch the stages and techniques of computer-assisted comics step-by-step on monitor screens. Related products, merchandise and urban vinyl figures will be on view inside special cases and there will be a reading area for visitors to sample books and magazines.

A central strategy of the project is to nurture a genuinely rewarding, interactive cultural exchange between China and Britain through comics. Nie Chongrui, Zhang Xiaoyu, Qian Yu and Benjamin from China and Chihoi Lee, Hok Tak Teung and Lily Lau from Hong Kong are among the master cartoonists and cutting-edge younger artists invited to London to present their work and take part in master classes, panels, hands-on workshops to involve children and adults and an academic seminar. British-based Chinese comics creators including Yishan Li, Mr. Clement and TH (Tim) Yu will join them in creating special 'live' artworks in the gallery, watched by the public. There will also be a parallel programme of animated and live-action film screenings all related to Chinese comics, free guided tours by the curator and guests, and a special 'Manhua Marketplace' to sample printed items and merchandise.

The exhibition's curator is Paul Gravett, director of Comica, London's International Comics Festival at the Institute of Contemporary Arts and author of Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics, Graphic Novels: Stories To Change Your Life, and Great British Comics. Gravett is being assisted by a team of expert advisers with specialist knowledge of Chinese comics, including Se-yu Chen Munday, Coco Wang, Yishan Li, Mr Clement, Rachel Lo, Connie Lam, TH (Tim) Yu, Patrick Abry and Jenny Lam.