MDes Graphic Design/Illustration/Photography School of Design
Zheqi Shen
This project reimagines Yu Hua’s Travel Afar From Home at Age Eighteen (1987) as an experimental illustrated picture book. Instead
of reproducing the story literally, I treat it as a poetic structure, using metaphor, rhythm, and space to depict the protagonist’s
shift from anticipation to confusion and disillusionment.
By combining literary analysis with visual experimentation—through composition, colour, and material—I aim to preserve the depth of
the original text while creating new layers of meaning. The work also reflects my own experiences of transition, positioning illustration as a
medium for expressing what is otherwise unspeakable.
Works
MOTEL&CAR
This project Motel & Car is inspired by Yu Hua’s short story Travel Afar From Home at Age Eighteen (1987). The narrative describes a
young man’s first encounter with society, where his youthful ideals collapse and he is confronted with subtle cruelty and
the disillusionment of adulthood. What struck me most in Yu Hua’s writing was not only the fragility of adolescence,
but also the hidden violence beneath ordinary experiences.
