Photo/Illutration A set of four paperback volumes of the "Andong Sensei" series sold in China

A Japanese picture book series featuring a gentle veterinarian and his animal patients is winning the hearts of readers across China, where illustrated children’s books had been a rarity until just a decade ago.

The “Andong Sensei” (Dr. Andong) series has sold 1.37 million copies in China since its first installment hit bookshelves there in 2014, a year after it was published in Japan by Kodansha Ltd.

“Reaching that figure in only 10 years is unthinkable,” said Liu Yue, a former Kodansha employee who was born in Beijing and helped bring the book to China.

In the first book of Toshio Nishimura’s four-part series, several animals, including a chicken with a sore throat and a crocodile with a dislocated jaw, go to see Dr. Andong.

Andong, a balding man in a white coat, with just a few bushy hairs around the sides of his head, examines his patients carefully--until he suddenly collapses, sending the animals into confusion.

Liu believes that the "Andong Sensei" books were particularly popular in China because the veterinarian’s name, “Andong,” is a familiar sound in Chinese, the animal characters are affable and the plot is easy to follow.

He also said the fact that the books aren’t “preachy” has a fresh appeal to Chinese readers.

“Chinese society values master-disciple relationships and children’s books often reflect this by overtly teaching lessons to the reader,” he said. “But this is obviously not the case with Dr. Andong. He is easily accessible and his relationship with patients is one of equals.”

Many readers commented that they were touched by the fact that the doctor and the animals help each other, according to Liu.

Nishimura said his books’ popularity among Chinese readers is a pleasant surprise.

Andong is loosely modeled on his father-in-law, who is a doctor in Shizuoka.

Nishimura built the protagonist’s character on his father-in-law’s motto that “a doctor should be a good listener.”

“At the end of the day, I would like readers to get the feeling that people will be happy when they are kind to others,” Nishimura said.

A CHANGING INDUSTRY

Changes in China’s publishing industry helped pave the way for this series’ breakthrough.

While books had been once been considered a luxury item in China, income levels began to rise about 10 years ago and book sales increased rapidly among the public, explained Liu.

Nishimura’s books also had a novel appeal. Previously, there hadn’t been a “picture book” genre in China’s publishing industry.

The first books young children got typically contained no illustrations, only text, and reading aloud to children was not common in Chinese culture.

“My first encounter with a book was a novel I read as a second-grader,” Liu recalled.

Japanese publishers entered the Chinese market just as people were warming to the idea of picture books and reading aloud to children was spreading among parents.

“Some Chinese people call picture books ‘tu hua shu’ (books of graphics and drawings), but many now call them ‘ehon,’ as they are called in Japan,” Liu said.

The first book in the "Andong Sensei" series was a hit as soon as it was published in China.

However, the series exploded in popularity when a set of all four books in paperback went on sale in 2023.

In recent years, selling items in a set for a discounted price has proved to be highly successful in China.

A single hardcover copy of the book costs 33.5 yuan (about 715 yen, or $4.60), while a set of four paperbacks costs 118 yuan.

The sales strategy paid off, selling 155,000 sets of the "Andong Sensei" series, or 620,000 copies, in a year alone.

The combined sales of the sets and hardcover versions totaled 1.37 million copies to date.

The series is expected to continue to sell well, given its name recognition.

“Today’s parents gravitate toward books that are highly ranked on social media or are already famous,” Liu said. “Dr. Andong has already become a household name among young parents.”

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