Sun Zhijun's comic adaptation of The Rickshaw Boy. [Photo/cri.cn]

Sun was born in Beijing and was deeply fond of the city. His works illustrated his strong emotional attachment to Beijing. On paper, scenic beauty and plain locals in Beijing are portrayed. The bridge at Beihai Park, Yiheyuan Summer Palace, Taoranting Park, Xiangshan Park, an old man who sells donkey meat in a hutong, and a woman who performs jing yun da gu (story-telling in Beijing dialect with drum accompaniment) all found their way in Sun's drawings.

Unlike the tragic ending of the novel, Sun gave Xiang Zi a new life at the end of the comic series.

Yet Sun's 1966 suicide during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) silenced his creativity.