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After two decades practicing paper-cut, I have made friends with the traditional method originated thousands years ago. The papers, the scissors and my hands, they all come together working with my passion. – Yu Rong
A panda’s tale: friendship and trust
Multi-award winning illustrator Yu Rong is no stranger to the pages of Pen&inc., having designed the cover for our launch issue almost a decade ago. She joins us again to talk about her latest book, a collaboration with another great ally of Pen&inc., Jake Hope.
BASED on the true story of Ming the Panda, a symbol of friendship and trust sent to the UK from China, is the first book Yu Rong and Jake have created together – despite a long friendship.
She says: “Jake is a very dear friend and colleague of mine, I adore his knowledge and passion for picture book making. This is the first book where we have teamed up as author and illustrator. We were brought together by the love we both share for pandas, it came so naturally and we had a great journey creating . “
Published by Otter-Barry Books “it is a story about Ming, told by a mother to her child at bedtime. The first panda arrived at London Zoo on Christmas Eve 1938, soon after she become a symbol of hope and joy for British children and adults during World War II. She was so well loved that she became a household name, famous for her playful nature and media appearances before her death in 1944.”
The historical setting brought some new challenges for Yu Rong, who explains: “There is big difference between working on fictional and non-fictional stories. Non-fiction requires lots of preparation, including reading, searching, watching any materials linked to the historical facts about Ming and anything linked to her at that time. I must admit although this part is not creative, I get inspired in completely different ways.
12 PEN&INC.
Yu Rong.
“On the Chinese side, the landscape and habitats where Ming was born and lived for a year before being captured, and the journey from Sichuan to London, by land and sea. On the English side, it was about the Blitz during the Second World War, the atmosphere, emotion, the colour tones and style of the clothing in that era… and of course what animals were in London Zoo during the period of Ming’s stay.” The story is told through the voice of a mother telling their child about Ming, and Yu Rong’s vibrant illustrations capture not only Ming’s story but also
Spring-Summer 2026
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