A constant theme in "The Adventures of Tintin": friendship

Tintin has surrounded himself with many characters who have become familiar to him. First of all, Snowy, who is certainly an animal, but above all he is Tintin's loyal companion . Captain Haddock, who is willing to give his life for his young friend. Then Chang, who becomes a friend for life, almost a brother. And all the others, Bianca Castafiore, Professor Calculus, Thomson and Thompson... In other words: the Tintin family!

The grumpy but good-hearted sailor is always ready to lend a helping hand to Tintin. Just 80 years ago, the two heroes met in The Crab with Golden Claws. The young reporter will help the captain rebuild his life. The latter will be eternally grateful.

Tintin never despises the captain despite his strong character or his fondness for the bottle. He will content himself with moderating him with discretion.

The story begins with an extraordinary encounter between the Belgian cartoonist Hergé and the Chinese sculptor Zhang Chongren.

Tchang Tchongren played a decisive role in Hergé's work. In 1934, on the advice of Abbé Gosset, Tintin's father met this 27-year-old art student who was temporarily living in Belgium. Zhang introduced Hergé to the cultural, artistic and political life of China, which the author had not yet discovered. From these long exchanges was born a deep friendship and an album, The Blue Lotus. Zhang Chongren thus joined the Tintin family since he inspired the well-known character of Chang, Tintin's precious companion in the mysterious streets of Shanghai at the time of the Opium Wars.