Proud General

Dir: Te Wei
Scr: Hua Junwu
Prod Co.: Shanghai Film Studio
1956 / Colour / DCP / Mandarin / 24min

Shanghai Animation Film Studio head Te Wei and his team spent over a year gathering paintings, sculptures and other artworks to produce this 24-minute film. Inspired by the character designs and movements of Peking opera performances, this beautiful film has an important place in the history of Chinese animation. The story follows an arrogant general who is so proud that his troops spend their days eating instead of training. When the enemies arrive, the general finds that his soldiers have all fled and his weapons rusted. Captured by his enemies, the proud general is no longer proud.

Screening Courtesy of the China Film Archive

Pigsy Eats Watermelon

Dir: Wan Guchan
Scr: Bao Lei
Prod Co.: Shanghai Animation Film Studio
1958 / Colour / DCP / Mandarin / 21min

In 1956, Wan Guchan returns to Shanghai and joined the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. His first proposal was creating a film using paper cutout animation, an idea that was fully supported by studio head Te Wei. The following year, China’s first paper cutout animated film was finally completed after overcoming numerous logistical challenges. A small spin-off from the story of Journey to the West, this 21-minute short is about Piggy eating an entire watermelon on his own and the Monkey King punishing him for not sharing it. The simple story is compensated for Wan’s innovative use of new animation techniques, resulting in another breakthrough for Chinese animation.

Screening Courtesy of the China Film Archive

Where Is Mamma?

Dir/ Scr: Collaboration
Orig Story: Fang Huizhen, Cheng Lude
Prod Co.: Shanghai Animation Film Studio
1960 / Colour / DCP / Mandarin / 15min

Based on the fairy tale by Fang Huizhen and Cheng Lude, China’s first ink animated film follows the journey of a little tadpole who encounters various animal friends as he searches for his mother. Using the sight of diluted ink spreading across a canvas for moving visuals, the filmmakers create a graceful look that introduced a new storytelling method for animated films. This elegant, poetic film was not only recognized by the Ministry of Culture for its innovative look, it also picked up awards all around the world between 1961 and 1980.

Screening Courtesy of the China Film Archive

The Cowherd’s Flute

Dirs: Te Wei, Qian Jiajun
Scr: Te Wei
Prod Co.: Shanghai Animation Film Studio
1963 / Colour / DCP / No Dialogue / 20min

The world’s second ink animation film (after Where is Mamma?) is the story of a shepherd boy’s search for his cattle. Complemented by the soothing sounds of the flute, the story unfolds like a dream as the ink images smoothly seep onto the screen. The buffalo in the film was illustrated by renowned painter Li Keran, who drew 14 cattle paintings for the animators to use as reference. The gorgeous background was designed by painter Fang Jizhong, who created splendid paintings of waterfalls, forests and mountain ranges. The film was the winner of the gold award at the International Fairy Tale Festival (now called the Odense International Film Festival) in 1979.

Screening Courtesy of the China Film Archive