In his latest cartoon, Badiucao draws inspiration from graffiti artist Banksy’s famous image of the Girl with a Red Balloon, which he recently reissued in video form to mark the third anniversary of the conflict in Syria. Badiucao also evokes another iconic image, of the Tank Man, who held up a column of tanks proceeding near Tiananmen Square after the military crackdown of June 4th, 1989. Here, a young Uyghur girl stands in front of the tanks, releasing a heart-shaped balloon. The Chinese government recently announced a plan to increase the number of daily police patrols in large urban areas in an effort to fight crime. This year marks the 25th anniversary of June 4th.
Daily Patrol, by Badiucao for CDT:
Read also a CDT Q&A with Badiucao in which he discusses his artistic and personal influences. All Badiucao cartoons for CDT are available here.
