ABSTRACT
In terms of longevity and production output, Chinese animation is hardly a negligible cultural presence. The Chinese animation industry has received a great deal of attention, both in terms of the Chinese government’s policies and statefunded promotional activities. Similarly, especially since the mid-1990s, private investments from both domestic and international companies have led to a significant increase in animation production. However, as an art form and as a cultural practice, animation has attracted much less attention from academics. As I begin my examination of smaller-screen animation, it is important to frame this recently developed cultural practice in relation to its much more long-lived counterpart, namely, the national animation industry. On the one hand, animation is closely linked to the history of the moving image in China. One can trace the main discourse on animation within the same parameters that have affected the development of film. Just like film, early animation developed from an imported technology, as a Chinese response to foreign animations. Just like film, starting from the late 1950s and early 1960s, animation became increasingly subject to the demands of ideology and often served as a tool for socialist propaganda. Just like film, it underwent major production and distribution changes with the beginning of economic reforms. On the other hand, animation also has distinctive traits that separate it both from the past and from current development in both fiction and documentary film-making. When it comes to professional training, production environment, targeted audiences, genre divisions, and stylistic choices, Chinese animators find themselves in a different cultural space from other live-action film-makers.
