Belgian iconic comic figure Tintin opens first shop in China

In 1934, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, known by his pen name Herge and as "the father of Tintin," met with Zhang Chongren, then a Shanghai architectural student in Belgium, to create his story "The Blue Lotus," which took place in the metropolis.

The character "Chang Chong-Chen" was based on Zhang and is the only character with a real-world origin in "The Adventures of Tintin."