Around 500 million Chinese read animation books or watch
cartoons, making China the world's largest animation market,
according to experts at a cartoon industry forum held in Qingdao at
the weekend.
Fifty-nine percent of animation fans are aged between 14 and 17
with adults accounting for 30 percent.
However, China's cartoon industry is still lagging behind world
leaders, experts said, despite increased government investment of
late.
"Several hundred schools and universities that offer animation
majors have now been set up," said Sun Lijun, head of Beijing Film
Academy's animation college. "These efforts will help boost China's
cartoon industry development."
Chinese animation works have been criticized for a lack of
originality and are subject to strict government controls over
their content.
The forum, organized by the central committee of the Communist
Youth League of China and the State Council’s Information Office,
called for all cartoons to promote "excellent traditional culture
and represent the modern spirit".
Foreign cartoons, especially from Japan, are hugely popular with
China's 250 million children and American cartoons such as The
Simpsons have gained a cult following among young adults.
However, in August, the State Administration of Radio, Film and
Television (SARFT), issued a ban on foreign cartoons during prime
time.
Zhao Shi, SARFT's deputy director, said that the ban was imposed
in response to requests by children and parents to screen domestic
cartoons on prime time television.
China produced more than 50,000 minutes of animation by the end
of August this year, exceeding last year's total output, and is
expected to produce 70,000 minutes of animation by the end of this
year.
(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2006)