Animation aficionados flocked to Shanghai in July to participate in the 17th China International Cartoon & Game Expo (CCG Expo). Logging 155,000 visits, related expo topics received more than 180 million hits on China’s twitter-like Sina Weibo portal.
The CCG Expo that ran from July 15 to 18 offered China’s rapidly expanding animation sector a boost toward empowering Chinese culture as it gains popularity, particularly among young people, through innovation and inheriting traditions.
Reviving Traditional Culture
“It is a form of inheriting culture and spirit. Cartoons offer an interesting and effective way of spreading revolutionary culture,” said a visitor surnamed Zhang, who was attracted by a cartoon themed exhibition on the centennial of the Communist Party of China (CPC). “It’s important for our children to learn about the history of the Party and the country,” he said.
Shanghai, a cosmopolis boasting cultural diversity, was the birthplace of the CPC and the matrix of Chinese animation. Today, more and more revolution-themed cultural products are reaching young people in the form of cartoons and animation. “I highly recommend these cartoons, as they tell good stories and the characters are meticulously drawn and created,” said Wang Qiuqi, a fan of Chinese animation.
This year’s CCG Expo featured a special themed cartoon exhibition in celebration of the centennial of the CPC. “The exhibition has been a hit particularly among the youth. It presents an interesting look into the Party’s history,” said Shu Dong, head of the expo’s organizing committee.
As a popular theme, revolutionary culture in the anime circles arises from traditional Chinese culture. NetEase Inc., one of the world’s largest Internet and video games companies, drew inspiration from traditional Chinese culture and used typical Chinese elements of a bridge, water, and paper umbrellas in creating an animation exhibition venue totally different from foreign ones. Bilibili, a Shanghai-based video sharing website themed around animation, comics, and games, launched a theme day for animations featuring traditional Chinese culture during the expo.
“Traditional Chinese culture is in vogue,” said Lin Le, an animation fan who loves wearing traditional Han Chinese clothing.
“Traditional Chinese culture is one of the most popular hashtags on our platform. Many young artists born in the late 1990s and the 2000s show particular enthusiasm in creating art works based on the theme,” said Peng Yanyan, marketing director of NetEase Lofter, a social platform mainly gathering creators.
Tourists visit an interactive cultural exhibition in Shanghai, on September 8, 2021.
Technology-Empowered Subculture
Isn’t it cool to create a mecha, or large armored robot, with military technology?
China’s domestically produced mecha Tunshan, whose design drew inspiration from China’s J-15 fighter aircraft dubbed Flying Shark, excited animation fans with its debut at the 17th CCG Expo.
“After more than 70 years of development, China’s aircraft industry has attained many cultural and technological achievements. We have the competence to contribute our unique strengths in building up China’s cultural confidence,” said Zhang Shen, creative director with the AVIC Universal Culture Diffusion (Beijing) Co., Ltd. He explained that Tunshan was the name for sharks in ancient China. “The mecha is a result of combining state-of-the-art 3D printing technology for military purposes with inspirations drawn from traditional Chinese culture,” said Zhang.
According to Zhang, AVIC funded writers to create three space-themed works of fiction, and is planning to create animation derivatives based on corresponding intellectual properties (IPs). “The debut of Tunshan is part of the plan,” said Zhang.
A Chinese mecha character has been long anticipated by animation fans. “Previously there were only U.S. Transformers and Japanese Gundam to admire. Now we have our own mecha and I am so proud of it,” said Zhang Chao, a fan of Tunshan who attended the expo.
New technologies of 5G, virtual reality, blockchain and cloud computing are also empowering IP development and cultural creation.
The CCG Expo 2021 also witnessed the debut of a virtual animated idol – AI Channel. According to Shu Dong, AI Channel is developed from Japanese virtual YouTuber Kizuna AI. Her haircut and costume have been localized with innovative ideas, said Shu.
New high technologies, including the extended reality technology, were used to create immersive experiences for visitors during the expo.
Building a Cultural Hub of International Influence
Legend of Exorcism, a Chinese animation series inspired by weird, uncanny, and supernatural stories from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), is now available on Netflix, and has received many favorable reviews from viewers worldwide.
The Chinese animation caused a sensation on South Korean blogging platform Naver. “I cannot understand Chinese, but I find the series interesting,” posted an Internet user. Some also said they wanted to learn Chinese after watching the animation series.
Legend of Exorcism was not the first Chinese animation streamed on Netflix, but its popularity on the platform showed a subtle change in viewers’ appetite – traditional Chinese culture is being accepted by foreign mainstream media outlets and audiences.
Over the past years, many domestically produced animation and video games have garnered widespread popularity in overseas markets. The Legend of Qin, an animation series with China’s Qin Dynasty (221 -206 BC) as the background, has been translated into seven languages and distributed in 42 countries and regions across the world. The animation film Ne Zha: Birth of the Demon Child garnered an audience satisfaction rating of 98 percent in overseas markets, and its rating on IMDb was as high as 7.5 out of 10. The Shanghai Animation Film Studio launched the Chinese Cinema Season in the U.K and China is steadily becoming an indispensable part of the global animation industry.
Fan Weiping, former deputy chief of China’s National Radio and Television Administration, said Chinese animation is attracting the world’s attention and integrating into the global market at a rapid pace. Domestically produced animation works are undergoing high-quality development and getting involved in international competitions.
Hayato Date, Japanese animation director best known for the animated adaptations of Naruto, is confident of Chinese animation’s international popularity. Quality Chinese original animation works are increasing, he said.
Shanghai, the birthplace of China’s first animated movie, is seeing robust development of the animation industry. Closely integrating with the city’s urban development, the industry is adding momentum to its supply-side reform of the cultural industry and boosting cultural consumption.
Shu Dong said that in 2020 the market value of the animation industry in Shanghai reached RMB 20 billion, accounting for 10 percent of its GDP. Shanghai housed 70,500 animation businesses last year, an increase of 27 percent year-on-year, many of which were globally influential, according to Shu.
Against the backdrop of a national drive to promote integrated development of the Yangtze River region, the animation industry in Shanghai is embracing new development opportunities. Founded in 2017, the Huanqiu ACG (Animation, Comic and Game) Industrial Base is Shanghai’s only industrial park dedicated to the animation industry. In 2020, the number of firms registered in the base approached 100, producing popular animation works and games including, Ne Zha: Birth of the Demon Child and Honor of Kings.
