Picturing the past

As a result, Feng adds, the colors used in the illustration should be harmonious with the modest nature of the cultural relics.

"So the people, animals and scenes in the pictures are more real than cartoonish; three dimensional with a good contrast between light and shadow."

Additionally, in order to hold the young readers' interest, the team had to tell the story of each theme from the perspective of a child, so a lot of content that young children cannot relate to in their daily lives was omitted, Zhao says.

"This is also why we chose these themes to arrange the content," she continues.

"We also added some simple games that children can play with their parents as they read the books."

For example, one page teaches children to pack porcelain-ware as people in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) did, so that they would not be broken during the unpredictable journey by sea.

The final three volumes, which are still works in progress, will cover the themes of Chinese art, ancient craftsmanship, and the games children played in ancient times.

"The last three themes have been even more difficult to create, but we hope young children will love them," Li concludes.