Penguin Random House, publisher of the English edition of Our Story, introduces the book as "a graphic memoir like no other: a celebration of a marriage that spanned the twentieth century in China, told in vibrant, original paintings and prose".

Meanwhile, the French edition Notre histoire: Pingru et Meitang has been the most popular book about China since it was published in 2017, with more than 30,000 copies sold. When former French president Francois Hollande visited the Paris Book Fair, he even took a copy of the book from the pavilion of Le Seuil, where it was a major highlight.

"People share a lot of common emotions, no matter what races or nationalities they are," Liu tells China Daily, adding that it was the power of love and humanity that made the book such an international success.

The publishing house was working on a new edition of Our Story, as well as a second picture book by the author.