Journey to the East

A word frequently used in the discussion of contemporary Chinese animation film by policy makers, producers, critics and audiences, is "national," as shown in phrases like "national style," "national industry," and "homemade," etc. Understandable though, why a nationalist sentiment is on the high side as China is under besiegement of globalization, it is worth examining the relationship between animation and nation by asking more nuanced questions. What does "national" signify when it comes to animation? How is the "national" being produced and consumed in Chinese animation? How is the rhetoric of national related to the development of the nation's animation industry, if in any way? By analyzing the aesthetics of early socialist animation works and the production practices of two contemporary animation films, this book attempts to deliver a historical account of Chinese animation cinema, and to explore how the notion of nation is being constructed and contested by people. The study should help shed some light on contemporary Chinese animation cinema, and be useful to animation and film researchers, professionals, or anyone who is interested in Chinese culture and cultural industry.