[3] The introduction of lithographic printing methods derived from the West was a critical step in expanding the art in the early 20th century.
Some of the manhua that mirrored the early struggles of the transitional political and war periods were The True Record and Renjian Pictorial.
[4] The rise of Chinese immigration turned Hong Kong into the main manhua-ready market, especially with the baby boom generation of children.
The availability of Japanese and Taiwanese comics challenged the local industry, selling at a pirated bargain price of 10 cents.
[3] The explicit violence helped sell comic books, and the Government of Hong Kong intervened with the Indecent Publication Law in 1975.
The materials would also bloom in the 90s with work like McMug and three-part stories like "Teddy Boy", "Portland Street" and "Red Light District".
In the second half of the 2000s and early 2010s, various Chinese cartoonists began using social media to spread satirical strips and cartoons online.
Furthermore, China strictly controls the publishing of comics, and as a result, cartoonists faced difficulty reaching a large audience.
With an increasing prevalence of Chinese-language online comic platforms, young artists have more opportunities to publish their work and gain a reputation.
The cultural openness in Hong Kong brought the translation of American Disney characters like Mickey Mouse and Pinocchio in the 1950s, demonstrating western influence in local work like Little Angeli in 1954.
Their original Chinese text is placed horizontally in manhua from mainland China and read from left-to-right (like Western comics and Korean manhwa), while Taiwanese and Hong Kongese manhua have the characters rendered vertically top-to-bottom and sentences are read from right-to-left (like Japanese manga).
Though little money is currently made through online manhua in China, the medium has become popular due to ease of uploading and publishing titles, color publication, and free reading access.
Furthermore, China strictly controls the publishing of comics, and as a result, cartoonists faced difficulty reaching a large audience.
With increased smartphone usage amongst a younger generation, webcomics featuring a scrollable infinite canvas are expected to become more popular.
With an increasing prevalence of Chinese-language webcomic portals, young artists have more opportunities to publish their work and gain a reputation.
Communist propaganda and figures such as Lei Feng are openly mocked on microblogs and in online cartoons, despite efforts of censorship by the Chinese government.
Chinese animator Pi San criticized internet companies and web portals for being "pretty cowardly" and "too sensitive", as they take on the role of first line of defense through self-censorship.
A research team from Rice University, Texas, stated that they saw "a fairly sophisticated system, where human power is amplified by computer automation, capable of removing sensitive posts within minutes.
"[16] Images censored from Sina Weibo include a portrait of Mao Zedong wearing a pollution mask, a photo compilation identifying the expensive watches on the wrists of supposedly low-waged local officials, and criticism on police action, censorship in education, and the one child policy.
Political cartoonist Liu "Big Corpse Brother" Jun had over 130,000 followers on Sina Weibo in December 2013, and Kuang Biao has his work appear both online and in various print journals.
Prize-winning cartoonists such as Chung Yun-de and Yeh Yu-tung were forced to turn to webcomics as their monthly income was too low to live from.
[9] Beijing cartoonist Bu Er Miao sells her webcomic Electric Cat and Lightning Dog on Douban's eBook service for 1.99 CNY (roughly 0.30 USD).