The history of Chinese animation, part 1

Chinese cinema
Havoc in Heaven

The history of Chinese animation, part 1

Havoc in HeavenAnimated feature film, Havoc in Heaven, adapted after the classic novel 'Journey to the West', marked the height of Chinese animation industry in the 1960s. (Photo: film still)

The Chinese film industry has been maturing at an incredible rate for decades. One of its most promising branches, however, requires neither actors, nor costly film location rentals, nor any of the other usual trappings. Animated film is an essential form of cinematic art, both artistically and strategically.

Animation is a wide concept. Primitive versions can be found throughout human history in the form of of shadows, puppets and stylized figures to represent humans and animals.

The Wan Brothers and first contact with Western animation

Animation was quite a late bloomer in China; the first animated film to be shown in the country was seen in 1918. The first Chinese-made animation clips were made in the Twenties, as the Wan brothers pioneered various animation techniques under the Great Wall Film Company.

The Wan brothers went on to create the first Chinese animated film with sound - 'The Camel's Dance' (Luo tuo xian wu), and by the time war broke out in the early Forties, they were experimenting with longer formats.

During that era, the West and East communicated with and influenced each other with an intensity which is hard to imagine today: Shanghai overflowed with Hollywood movies and its cosmopolitan culture made it one of the most stimulating cities in the world. The 1939 screening of Walt Disney's masterpiece 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarves' profoundly influenced Chinese animation, showing the previously unthinkable potential of animation as an ambitious storytelling medium.

The outbreak of the Second World War  

Sadly, the spring of Chinese animation was not to last. The outbreak of the Pacific War between China and Japan destroyed Shanghai's film studio culture and ground all Chinese cinema to a halt.

After the Second World War, animated cinema slowly emerged again. During the civil war period (1946-1949), its production was mostly centred on political/educational animation films and animated propaganda documentaries.

During the Fifties, things finally started to change: intellectuals and artists were optimistic and participated in building a new national culture. A lot of talent and resources were invested on animation, and the Wan brothers were once again at the forefront of the industry's innovation. Their first film-length colored animation, 'Why is the Crow Black-Coated' (Wu ya wei she me shi hei de), was very well-known and influential.

Havoc in Heaven, the swansong before the Cultural Revolution

And then came 1964, a landmark year for Chinese film history. 'Havoc in Heaven' (Da nao tian gong), a gorgeously animated, colored and musicated animated film, came out. It was a symphony of color and movement, inspired by the literary classic Journey to the West.

Since then, many things have happened: the Cultural Revolution destroyed what was becoming one of the most promising animation industries in the world. When the destruction finally came to an end, Chinese animators discovered a changed world: Japanese and American animation had already taken over the global market.

To find a place among American superproductions and the inventiveness of Japanese anime was a daunting task, and the Chinese animation industry struggled to compete with such giants. Eventually, in recent years, something started to change.

The sequel to this article will focus on the contemporary scene of Chinese animation cinema.

In March, gbtimes takes a look into the changing cinematic scene in China and Europe by turning the spotlight on to niche film genres, such as short films and documentaries in the regions. Why is fringe cinema important and how is it relevant to us? Where is the place for fringe cinema alongside mainstream film? Please join the discussion in the comments below, and come back to our website for more on Fringe Cinema.

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