YANYI

YANYI is Lee Jay En’s first attempt at drawing comics, as a way to record ten years of life and friendships in the Yancheng First Public Market in Kaohsiung. Although Lee passes through the market every day, putting it down on paper feels like making a rubbing of life itself—revealing a deeper understanding of the tiles, the corners, and the relationships among people in the market. More than a comic book, Lee sees this work as a kind of storyboard, presenting the market through the perspective of everyday observation. As each panel unfolds through reading, the narration of time emerges— a quality unique to storyboards. The book does not have a clearly defined main character, each chapter depicts different people spending their own time in the market, shaped by their work patterns or by their particular sense of time. The speech bubbles were written by the characters themselves by hand, so that each person’s handwriting conveys their individuality and depth. The scale of time shifts from story to story, yet for the market, it all amounts to just another ordinary day. YANYI is Lee Jay En’s first attempt at drawing comics, as a way to record ten years of life and friendships in the Yancheng First Public Market in Kaohsiung. Although Lee passes through the market every day, putting it down on paper feels like making a rubbing of life itself—revealing a deeper understanding of the tiles, the corners, and the relationships among people in the market.

More than a comic book, Lee sees this work as a kind of storyboard, presenting the market through the perspective of everyday observation. As each panel unfolds through reading, the narration of time emerges— a quality unique to storyboards.

The book does not have a clearly defined main character, each chapter depicts different people spending their own time in the market, shaped by their work patterns or by their particular sense of time. The speech bubbles were written by the characters themselves by hand, so that each person’s handwriting conveys their individuality and depth. The scale of time shifts from story to story, yet for the market, it all amounts to just another ordinary day.

Drawing by Lee Jay En
Script translation by Shi Yu Ting
Book designed by Mulu Office
Printing & binding by Mulu Office
Published by 3080s Local Style
Printed and bound in New Taipei City, Feb 2025
268 x 193 x 7 mm
Printed in Risograph
Side-stitch bound with softcover
Panel color in red, green or violet
ISBN: 978-986-98901-5-1