Cartoons are well-loved by children around the globe. But as an ongoing exhibition at Chinese universities shows, locally-created cartoons and animation art have huge potential.
All of the works being exhibited are top pieces from the First China Cartoon Awards, held by the Chinese Television Artists' Association in September. The exhibition aims to help China's cartoon industry tap the vast domestic market.
Fu Tiezheng, general secretary of China Cartoon Industry Forum, said: "According to a survey in early 2000, most cartoon enthusiasts are aged between 25 and 30. But I believe the pool of followers has increased since then. Now, even some senior citizens are interested in it."
Currently, China's cartoon market is dominated by products from the United States, Japan and European countries. The Chinese Cartoon Awards was set up last year as an annual event to encourage the development of the country's cartoon industry. Thousands of amateur as well as professional cartoon artists submitted their works for the event. It will not be long before Chinese cartoon lovers can enjoy distinctively local animation art to their heart's content.
(CCTV.com March 24, 2003)
