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Animated films, television cartoons and graphic novels have come a long way to being accepted as art forms in China.

Tie shan gong zhu (????, 1941). Princess Iron Fan is the first feature length animation made in China, just four years after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (source: IMDB)

The First China Cartoon and Animation Artistic Exhibition at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing shows that animation and comic books have hit the mainstream and are no longer just something for children and teenagers.

Visitors to the exhibition included Li Changchun, senior state leader in charge of publicity and culture.

Gan Yujie, 60, who visits the museum often, said she never imagined that graphic novels like “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” could make it to the halls of the national art museum.

Professor Liao Xiangzhong, dean of the Communication University of China’s Animation School, said: “I was excited to see the works there. An exhibition in such a museum means that animation and comic arts have been recognized by the government as 'real' art.”

Organized by the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Science and Technology, the show includes animated films, animated TV series, comic books and mobile cartoons.

Minister of Culture Cai Wu said Chinese animation and comic arts were attracting more attention and that unprecedented opportunities lay ahead.

Professor Liao added that Chinese animation has been poised to take off after so many years of accumulation, and he said growth in the sector was partly due to the support of the government.

The professor said the government is aware of the value of creative works of traditional culture and is trying to find more effective ways to communicate those values to its young people.

Ouyang Jian, vice minister of culture, said the industry can bring happiness and dreams to many people, especially adolescents.

Wang Jingtian, 19, an animation major at a vocational school in Beijing, said he had the feeling that his job prospects just became brighter due to the exhibit.

About 10,000 companies in China make cartoons and comics, with more than 200,000 people employed, according to the Ministry of Culture.

Chinese animation started in the 1920s. In 1941, “Tie Shan Gongzhu,” or “Princess Iron Fan,” was released – the country’s first animated feature film.

via Animation is now deemed ‘real’ art — Shanghai Daily — English Window to China New.

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