Development of Chinese and Foreign Picture Books from the Perspective of Publishing History

Abstract

As a special publication integrating text and images, narration and art, picture books have developed throughout the history of Chinese and foreign publishing, reflecting cultural trends, educational concepts and technological changes of the times. From the perspective of publishing history, this paper sorts out the complete development of picture books from embryonic image narration, morphological expansion in the evolution stage to global integration and digital innovation in the development stage. It compares the development paths of ancient Chinese illustrated books, modern comic strips, medieval Western manuscripts and modern picture books after the Industrial Revolution, analyzes the influences of religious communication, educational demands and technological innovations, and reveals the similarities and differences in cultural genes and functional positioning between Chinese and foreign picture books. The study finds that the development of picture books has always centered on three propositions: balance of text and images, audience adaptation, and integration of art and technology. Contemporary picture books show a parallel trend of localization and globalization, providing historical reference and theoretical support for the development of original picture books.