THIS INTERVIEW with famous Hong Kong cartoonist Lee Wai-chun got off to a bumpy start. When we met at Basher Design Books, where her latest exhibition, Reinventing The Creator Of 13 Dot, is being held, the petite artist was mobbed by passionate fans asking for autographs and pictures.
But they are forgiven. After all, Lee's popular comic creation, 13 Dot, was once their fantasy, and is now part of Hong Kong's heritage.
'I am surprised that 13 Dot was so popular, and people still remember it,' says the cheerful woman, who refuses to disclose her age.
When 13 Dot, a comic series about a warm-hearted and highly fashionable tycoon's daughter named 13 Dot was first published in 1966, it became an overnight sensation.
Because of her innovative, trendy styles of clothing, the character soon become a fashion icon among young girls. Although the comic hasn't been published for nearly two decades, 13 Dot remains a charming character today.
At the time, the public's enthusiasm took Lee - then in her 20s - by surprise. And when a publisher expressed an interest in publishing 13 Dot, she only wanted to draw the styles of clothing she liked.
'I love drawing, as well as elegant and modern things. I always had different ideas about clothes and wanted to draw all of them because I couldn't have them in real life,' Lee recalls.
